Forging Peace in the Furnace of Adversity

A lack of peace is a dangerous thing. The human body was not designed to withstand prolonged periods of anxiety or fear. Nor was it created for bitterness. But what is one to do when circumstances propel your thoughts to the point of obsession and extreme emotions rampage violently through your heart, wreaking havoc on your physical, mental and spiritual health? The answer: you need to post a guard (Phil 4:7).

Anxiety and fear were not to be your default settings. Instead, peace should guard your heart and mind in order to prevent these terrorists from staging a revolution. And I’m not talking about any kind of peace – it is the peace of God that I have in mind. This is a peace that prevails when there is no earthly or logical reason to feel at peace.

The Philippian church was suffering persecution for the sake of Christ (Phil. 1:27-30). Just as Paul had been beaten, imprisoned and tortured in Philippi, the Philippians were experiencing the same things. The threat of torture and imprisonment is not conducive to peace, yet that is what the Philippians so desperately needed, a peace that went beyond all comprehension - a peace to guard their hearts and minds. And this is what God had in mind for them. In fact, He has it in mind for you too - whatever your circumstances. But how can you post the guard of God’s peace at the doors of your heart and mind?

Here’s a good place to start: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (v4). You are to take pleasure in God every day and in every circumstance. Paul did it by singing hymns at midnight, turning his dungeon into a cathedral. When you rejoice in a new car, you take pleasure in its features and capabilities – you rave to anyone who will listen. “This car can pull my boat and you wouldn’t know it was there. It’s so quiet – I can hear every muttered complaint of my back-seat driver. It has cruise control.” With infinitely greater reason, we should delight in God, His attributes and the things He has done. That is why we encourage people to share testimonies in church. That is why it is good to turn your daily commute into a praise session so that your soul does not shrivel under a barrage of complaints, curses and criticism.

Then Paul mentions the matter of gentleness (v5). It would have been so easy for the Philippians to shipwreck their faith in bitter missions of revenge. But Paul says “let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near”. The Bible is clear that we should live every day as though Christ is about to return. Let us leave justice to Jesus.  You are to forgive – Jesus will avenge your injustice when He returns to judge the living and the dead. And even if you have not been offended recently, still be gentle, especially when stress is increasing and patience is dropping!

Lastly, invest more time praying, asking and thanking than you do worrying (v6). We all know this but seldom DO IT. I challenge you to sit down in the midst of your greatest anxieties and make a list of 50 things you can thank God for. Or perhaps you should indulge in some “rejoicing” prayer as you meditate on God’s greatness and His faithfulness to you, your friends, your family and your church.

If, for example, you are battling to pay school fees, set aside your worry by seeking God for help every time anxiety surfaces. You may ask, but should I do anything to help myself? S.D. Gordon said:

“The greatest thing anyone can do for God and for man is to pray. You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed. Prayer is striking the winning blow ... service (i.e. doing stuff) is gathering up the results.”

Prayer is underpinned by the theological truth that God is powerful and in control. When we pray we remind ourselves that God is sovereign, and this encourages us to trust Him. And without trust it is impossible to experience peace. In the words of Isaiah: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Is. 26:3).

It is evident, therefore, that there is much you can do to build and then maintain peace in your life. Perhaps Paul’s assumption is that bitterness, anxiety or fear grow little by little. What begins as something we can control ends in something we feel powerless to change. If that is where you are, be encouraged to dismantle your predicament one step at a time, struggling to forge peace in the furnace of your circumstances. Take steps to post the guard of peace, and I am sure that you will be surprised by the results. Remember that whatever you do to obey God in this regard will be far outweighed by what He does for you.

Cheers for now - Ian