If you have read the “About Me” page, I mentioned that the name of this blog came from my buddy, heng dai (meaning “brother” in Cantonese, which is a term to refer to a close guy friend). “Eirene” means “peace”.
Today, I am going to write about “peace”. I was feeling stressful the last couple of days. This morning, my prayer partner from Singapore sent me this verse, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).
When the Apostle Paul was writing this letter, he was under a house arrest for preaching the Gospel. The Roman Empire had him arrested. The believers in the church in Philippi who supported his missionary work were worried about him (Philippians 1). There was also some disunity among them (Philippians 2) that the Apostle Paul called two women by their names and asked them to get along with each other. False teachings were seeping into this community of faith too (Philippians 3).
Despite all the external pressures and internal issues the Philippi church was facing, Paul ended his letter with the admonition, “rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).
External pressures and internal issues (inside us) can rob us of the peace that is within us—but only if we give them permission to do so. Remember Apostle Paul’s admonition: rejoice in the Lord!
When we feel we can not go any further, when we feel hopeless, lost and tired, there is Someone whom we can turn to—God! And, the best part is this: God can and will do something about it. Apostle Paul reminded the Philippians to pray in every situation, bringing their requests to God and offer prayers of thanksgiving to what He has done.
May be I am anxious because I had not brought the matter which had caused me anxiety to the Lord. I had let stress overwhelmed and took away my joy.
Remember: Having peace does not mean the absence of troubles or difficult times. Having peace means, regardless of the circumstances, we choose to focus our eyes on Jesus Christ, knowing that He is with us and He cares for us. Our circumstances may be overwhelming and it seems more than we can bear, but take heart that God hears all our cries, frustrations and prayers. He will help us and deliver us.
The Apostle Paul ended his letter by urging the believers to rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4). Knowing that God is with us already gives us a reason to rejoice and be glad. Every day, find a quiet place in your house, turn your heart to Him and surrender your anxieties to Him. Ask God to increase your faith in Him. Ask Him to open your eyes to see His goodness and faithfulness. Then, end your session by listing out things that you want to thank God for.
May you experience His deep peace and joy in your life.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are my refuge and shelter. When life is overwhelming, I give thanks to You that I can bring everything to You in prayers. Thank you for Your love and goodness to me. Help me to always focus on Your goodness and greatness, and not just on my circumstances or the problems I am facing. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.