Peace and Freedom

Recently a friend of mine said someone once told her that we could either have peace or understanding but we can’t have both.  I thought about the number of times in seeking closure to a situation or relationship I have reasoned that if I can just understand why something happened I can move past it.  That doesn’t work though.  It either gives me a false hope that I can control it, or it just doesn’t bring closure and then I dragged out the suffering while I was looking for an answer.

I debated waiting a while to write this blog post.  I can share with you later on down the road about the peace that I have in this moment, but I think it’s more meaningful to share it now, just as I am, in the middle of this experience.  My family is walking through a new stage in my dad’s cancer battle.  The cancer is now in his brain and the treatment options are minimal.  The surgeons and oncologist are amazed at how well he is doing considering the placement of and the size of the tumor.  We are amazed too, but we are not surprised.  This is what the Lord has continued to do throughout this battle.  He continues to show us His love, mercy, and power!  And so, in the midst of this new stage, I have incredible peace.  It’s a greater peace than I have ever known.  It’s a really special gift from the Lord.  It’s also something that is always available to believers in any circumstance.

As I was explaining this peace to a friend the other day, she said “That sounds a lot like freedom." It is freedom.  It is freedom to love big knowing that the Lord will comfort us in our pain when we lose someone we love.  It’s freedom to try knowing that the Lord will make a way for the things He has called us to do.  It’s freedom to have grace for ourselves and others because we know that He has already paid the ransom for our sins.  It’s freedom to live in the abundance of a life with Jesus even in the midst of suffering and pain.  Peace is what allows us to fully live in freedom.  So how do we go about finding peace?

I love Philippians chapter four.  Paul speaks about unity and contentment.  He also speaks about peace, but he doesn’t just tell us what peace is, he explains how we get to a place where we have peace that passes understanding.  Starting in verse four Paul writes “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  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.  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me - put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”  This is a gameplan for having peace!  We can’t just have it written out on paper though, we have to execute the game plan.  Only the Holy Spirit can give us this peace, so what is our part, what part of the plan is ours to execute?  Paul answers that question.  In verse four he tells us to rejoice in the Lord at all times.  That means in the good times and bad, when we see how He is working or when we cannot see what He is doing we are rejoicing the same way.  Then Paul tells us to let our gentleness be known to all.  Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit, so all believers have gentleness freely available to them.  When we snap an answer back at someone we love, if we are petty because we weren’t invited, or if we are offended by our perceived tone of a text message from a friend instead of assuming the best from their heart we aren’t being gentle and we aren’t at peace.  Then in verse 6 Paul states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God.”  Pray!  Tell the Lord the things that are keeping you from being at peace.  That’s simple enough but we have to be committed. In Colossians 4:2 Paul tells us to be devoted to prayer.  “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Both verses tell us to pray with a thankful heart.  We can be thankful for all that the Lord has brought us through, for what we are learning in the process, and for the peace that He promises to give us.  Being watchful means that we are looking for the things that He has promised.  It means we are looking for the ways that He is working.  It’s the last step of the gameplan, we focus on things that are from the Lord, that remind us of His goodness and His faithfulness.

I don’t really ask God why my dad has cancer any more.  I also am not fearful about others that I love walking through this battle in the future.  I am still human though. I do still shed a lot of tears.  Some of them are because I am sad, some are because I am tired, many are because I am grateful.  The is no guarantee that my dad will feel as good tomorrow as he has today.  He could also feel even better than he did today.  Amazingly, his golf game is still really good.  He lipped out for an eagle on a par 5 today.  Yes, he finished that hole with a birdie!  That was my first question too!  We are treasuring each moment, knowing that the Lord has been gracious to give us so many that we really weren’t sure we would have.

If peace seems distant from you confide your feelings to a friend and ask him or her to help you walk out your gameplan for peace.  Ask others to pray Philippians 4 with you and over you.  Look at which part of the gameplan is missing for you and ask the Lord to show you how to execute that part of the plan.  It may be meditating on His word and the good things He has created.  It may be rejoicing in the midst of pain.  It may be choosing gentleness towards those you love.  Ask Him to show you tangible ways to be gentle, to rejoice, to devote yourself to prayer, to be watchful of all that He is doing and has already done.  Devote yourself to persistence.  If you have a rough day pick up where you left off the previous day. Take the circumstance one day at a time and trust that He will sustain you and give you the peace that passes understanding.  It’s a really special place of freedom that comes from an intentional relationship with Jesus.