And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 KJV)
The first word “and” takes our attention to what has been discussed in the preceding verse. In the light of the earlier verse, we learn that while anxiety destroys the peace of heart, prayer restores and maintains peace in our hearts. To every one who, in everything prays with thanksgiving (v.6), the peace of God is promised!
The “peace of God” is the peace which God gives. The peace referred to here is the blessed assurance that God bestows upon a praying soul in the midst of its needs and troubles. No one else but the possessor of peace, our Lord Himself, can grant us peace. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). The peace of God is not a wish or prayer, but a promise of God; it is guaranteed.
The peace that God promises is incomprehensible to man, for it “passeth all understanding.” No man could ever imagine or device it. There is nothing in this world that can offer such a noble and superior peace as that which God offers. This is not the result of self-esteem or self-confidence. This cannot be secured by the schemes and powers of man. This is not what man achieves through the practice of some meditational techniques. No human psychologist or psychotherapist can offer such peace and tranquillity as God promises. Though unfathomable to man, it is the Christian’s experience. God’s peace will be powerfully at work in the lives of those who rely on Him in prayer.
Human reasoning results in continued doubt and anxiety. When man’s desperate ingenuity fails to alleviate his problems, he falls into anxiety and depression. God’s peace, by contrast, is effective in removing all disquietude. It “shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Our hearts and minds, our affections and our thoughts, need to be guarded; here we are promised that the peace of God will protect them. Unguarded passions and imaginations will destroy our testimony and effectiveness. Unwise decisions and foolish speculations can wreck our lives and others’. But when our hearts and minds are guarded by God’s peace, we shall be safe and sound. Such protective peace from God comes through Christ, who is the source of our salvation and all divine blessings.
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