“The Peace of God That Excels All Thought”
THROUGHOUT history, faithful servants of God have undergone periods of intense emotional anguish. How much more is this true today, since we live in “critical times hard to deal with”! (2 Timothy 3:1) The apostle Paul counseled Christians to throw their anxieties on Jehovah through prayer. With what result? “The peace of God that excels all thought will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 4:7.
What is this “peace of God”? It is a calmness that comes from having a close relationship with the Creator. Such intimacy gives us confidence that, regardless of our distresses, Jehovah “will not abandon his people; he will not desert those who belong to him.”—Psalm 94:14, Today’s English Version.
This does not mean that we are immune to adversity. “Many are the calamities of the righteous one,” wrote the psalmist. (Psalm 34:19) But the peace of God can bring relief. How?
The peace of God “excels all thought,” wrote Paul—or as rendered in the Concordant Version, it is “superior to every mental state.” Anxiety can cause us to experience a wide range of distressing emotions. (Ecclesiastes 7:7) Yet, the peace of God can stabilize us, especially when we need “power beyond what is normal.”—2 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Timothy 1:7.
Furthermore, the peace of God is a protection. It can “guard your hearts and your mental powers,” as Paul wrote to the Philippians. The Greek word translated “guard” is a military term that likely evoked a mental picture of sentries maintaining a day-and-night watch. In the same way, the peace of God can act as a 24-hour guard over our hearts and our mental powers.—1 Corinthians 10:13; compare Ephesians 4:26.
Considering the stressful challenges we face today, is not the peace of God something for which to be thankful?—Psalm 18:2; compare Exodus 40:38.