PEACE LIKE A RIVER

 

In his book “The sickening mind”, Paul Martin wrote, "during the Gulf War of 1991, Iraq launched a series of Scud missile attacks against Israel. Many Israeli citizens died as a result of these attacks. After the war was over, Israeli scientists analyzed the official mortality statistics and found something remarkable. Although the death rate had jumped among Israeli citizens on the first day of the Iraqi attacks, the vast majority of them did not die from any direct physical effects of the missiles.

They died from heart failure brought on by fear, worry and stress associated with the bombardment. Psychological studies conducted on Israelis at the time showed that the most stressful time was the first few days leading up to the outbreak of war on January 17, and peaking on the first day of the Scud missile attacks. There was enormous and well-founded concern about possible Iraqi use of chemical and biological weapons.

The government had issued to the entire Israeli population gas masks and automatic atropine syringes in case of chemical attack. Every household had been told to prepare a sealed room.  After the first Iraqi strike turned out to be less cataclysmic than feared, levels of stress declined markedly. Then as the fear and anxiety subsided, the death rate also declined. It was fear and not the physical impact  that claimed the majority of victims.

In Philippians 4:5 Paul says “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”  ASV says “Let your forbearance be known unto all men.” Gentleness is a Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). Forbearing describes a person who does not always insist on every right. There was a conflict between Euodias and Syntyche because they were determined to have their own way.

Paul says that everyone around us should see our forbearance in action. In 2Timothy 2:24 Paul says “the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle”. He reminded the Thessalonians that “we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children” (1 Thess.2:1).  There is nothing more tender in terms of expressing relationships than a nursing mother and her baby.

In 2 Corinthians 10:1 he says “I beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ”.  There was a kind of pervading gentleness about Christ that drew even little children to His side. Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa. 42:1-4) pointed to his actions and demeanor (Matt. 12:20). He would be so gentle that “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out”.

The “bruised reed” and the “smoldering wick” refer to the spiritually, physically, or morally weak. To the world, a bruised reed is a worthless thing and a smoldering wick is a nuisance. They are good for nothing but to be cut down and discarded. But to God a reed that is bruised may be damaged, but it is not irreparable. A “smoldering wick” may be about to lose its fire altogether, but it can still be reignited.

Jesus fulfilled the prophecy; he had tender, compassionate care for the weak and downtrodden. We expect most people with special abilities to run to the nearest spotlight or in some other way strive for as much fame as possible. But Jesus was not like that, he did not raise his voice. He worked quietly, at times purposefully avoiding the public eye, to accomplish God’s will.

The religious leaders of Jesus' day were quick to judge and lacked gentleness. Today many Christians are anything but gentle. They have no patience for fellow believers with character flaws. They also show little kindness toward non-believers. Lack of gentleness and forbearance greatly hampers the gospel spread.

In the world there are many bruised people, individuals who have been wounded emotionally, spiritually, or physically. There are many believers whose faith is feeble and to many they are dispensable. Let's follow the example Jesus set. Paul says “Let your gentleness be evident to all”.  We are to show this gentleness to all men, not just to whom we please.

Paul says “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near”. The Lord is coming soon. .When we live with the awareness of Jesus’ soon return, it makes it easier to show gentleness to all men. There is no need of fighting, for we only have a short time on this earth. We know that Jesus will settle every wrong at His return, and we can trust Him to make things right in the end.

Would the people who know you best consider you a gentle person? Would that word even pop into their minds when they think about you? Would the people you don’t like consider you a gentle person? That’s the real test. Anyone can be gentle around nice people, but only the Holy spirit can enable you to respond gently to people who mistreat you.

Paul continued “do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” The Christians at Philippi were prone to anxiety. In chapter 1 Paul reminded them that, it had  been granted to them, not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake (Phil.1:28, 29, 30). They were habitually worrying, forfeiting their joy.

Worry means to "choke" which is what it does to our joy. In the present context “worry” means to have an anxious concern, based on dread about possible danger or misfortune. Worry is characterized by extreme uneasiness of mind. Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all others thoughts are drained.

If anybody had an excuse for worrying, it was the Paul. Philippians were disagreeing with one another and he was not there to help them. Along with that Paul had to face division among the believers at Rome (Phil. 1:14-17). Added to these burdens was the possibility of his death! Paul had a good excuse to worry but he did not! Instead, he takes time to explain to us the secret of victory over worry.

Worry is a sin because it demonstrates distrust in God's promises and providence. It says, "God is not big enough to handle the problems and circumstances in my life. Second, it distracts you from the things that really matter in life. As long as you are worrying, you can't do anything else well. Worry requires an investment of your energy, but it does not get you anywhere. 

Worry never moves you one inch closer to a solution, it creates more problems.  Worry cannot change the past or control the future; it makes you miserable today. The worries of this life can choke God's Word and make it unfruitful in our lives (Matt. 13:22). Paul says "don't worry about anything!" No matter how much reason there seems to be for worrying, don’t do it.

Psalm 55:22 says “cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” This promise tells us that Christians do have burdens. David is talking about the burdens that the Lord allows each one of us to bear. Notice that the verse doesn't say He'll keep you from problems all the time. But he'll make sure the righteous will not be moved.

Jesus said to his disciples “ I tell you, do not worry about your life… Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:22,25). What is the antidote to worry? Are we to believe that problems are not real? Are we to ignore them? No. Prayer is the antidote to worry.

Paul says “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7 Living Bible).

Pray about everything, pray with thanksgiving, pray with expectation. No matter what experience comes, we can pass it on to God. it does not have to stay in our hands at all. And , the "peace of God"  will guard our hearts and the minds. Paul is writing this from prison, guarded day and night. He is praying all the time and as a result, "the peace of God" is guarding over his heart and mind.

 “Guard your heart” is a military metaphor for a Roman guard on duty, either to prevent hostile invasion. Christians can dwell above every ruffling wind or darkening cloud. Not only are they characterized by joy, they are also under the control of God's supernatural peace. Peace  that is not merely superficial freedom from troubles, but a deep-seated harmony with God the Source of all peace.

God’s peace transcends human understanding. No one can understand or explain it. It is supernatural in origin and nature. People of the world who see it manifested in the lives of Christians cannot understand such peace. Even the Christians who possess it cannot fully understand it; they find a wonderful element of mystery about it. They are surprised at their own lack of anxiety in the face of tragedy or adverse circumstances. Those who have experienced it would not exchange it for anything that the world has to offer.

There is no more blessed way of living than a life of dependence upon a covenant-keeping God. Christians need to keep a lofty view of the character and attributes of their God and remember that nothing is outside of His sovereign control or is too difficult for Him to handle. A low view of God leads to spiritual instability with a predisposition toward anxiety and worry.