The Peace of God

- Prayer with gratitude is the cure for anxiety. We should thank God for what He has already done before we make any new requests. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." (Isaiah 26:3) When we pray and praise God, we set/"stay" our mind on God, resulting in peace. "Pray for wisdom to deal with whatever is worrying you. Pray that God will act to change the circumstances according to His will. He doesn't always do what we want Him to--but He knows what's best for us, and He can be trusted." (Billy Graham) When I fix my thoughts on the power of God, the promises of God, & the purposes of God and give thanks continually for His presence, provision, & protection, His peace guards my heart and mind.

- "Transcends all understanding"--God's peace surpasses all our reasons and circumstances. It's unexplainable and unfathomable. The presence of Christ, the Prince of Peace, makes all the difference in the world. He is our Peace (Yahweh Shalom)! He gives us an inner tranquility which enables us to say, "It is well with my soul" no matter what happens to us. 

- "Guard"--protect from harm, not letting anything penetrate, watch over, shield, defend. "Paul's choice of a military term implies that the mind is a battle zone and needs to be 'protected by a military guard.' Since the purpose of such a guard in a wartime situation is either to prevent a hostile invasion or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from escaping. The peace of God operates in the same way: to protect the mind from external corrupting influences and to keep the mind focused on God's truth." (from my NKJV Study Bible's commentary)

- To sum up this passage: Want God's peace? Worry about nothing. Pray about everything. :) Whenever we face trials, obstacles, worries, and difficulties, we should pray and ask God what lessons we are to learn from them and ask Him to help us grow stronger, wiser, and more Christlike through them.

- Prayer (by J.R. Miller): Father, teach us the lessons You would have us learn from the day's experiences. May we be wiser for having lived through these experiences. May our faith be stronger, our love be deeper, our earnestness be more intense, and our zeal be more intense. May we nestle in Your love, as little children nestle in the mother's bosom. May we hide in You as in an everlasting Rock, so that our peace may never be disturbed, even in the wildest storms of earth. Enfold us all now in Your everlasting arms, and may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be upon us. Amen.