When Peace is Hard to Come By

WHEN PEACE IS HARD TO COME BY…PRAY AND FOCUS

INTRODUCTION:

I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I EQUATE THE WORD PEACE WITH BEING ABLE TO GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP.

FRIDAY NIGHT, OUR NOW 18 MONTH OLD GRANDDAUGHTER ADDI SPENT THE NIGHT WITH US, WHICH CAUSED ME TO BE DISPLACED FROM MY USUAL SPOT IN MY BED TO ONE OF THE GUEST BEDROOMS, BECAUSE 18 MONTH OLDS HAVE THE UNIQUE TALENT OF TAKING UP FULL-SIZED HUMAN BEINGS SPACES IN THE BED.

BUT BEFORE I WENT TO BED IN THE GUEST BEDROOM, I WENT IN TO GET MY PILLOW, BECAUSE IT NEED MY PILLOW TO GO TO SLEEP.

AND WHEN I WALKED IN, ADDI WAS ABOUT MIDDLE WAYS OF THE BED, ON HER BACK, WITH HER ARMS KINDA OUT TO THE SIDE AND ABOVE HER HEAD, MOUTH WIDE OPEN, IN WHAT LOOKED TO BE THE MOST BLISSFULL STATE OF SLEEP KNOWN TO MAN.

AND I THOUGHT, MAN! I WISH I COULD SLEEP THAT PEACEFULLY.

AND I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT THE REASON SHE COULD SLEEP SO PEACEFULLY AND SOUNDLY.

AND IT’S PARTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CARES OF THE WORLD HAVE NOT YET BEEN PLACED UPON HER.

SHE DOESN’T SUFFER FROM A LACK OF SLEEP BROUGHT ON BY A LACK OF PEACE, BECAUSE OF HER INNOCENCE.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US, WHO DO KNOW SOMETHING OF THE CARES OF THIS WORLD?

WHAT ARE WE TO DO, WHEN PEACE IS HARD TO COME BY?

WHAT ARE WE TO DO WHEN LIFE SEEMS TO BE COMING APART AT THE SEAMS?

PAUL DEALS WITH THIS ISSUE IN A COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS IN OUR TEXT FROM .

AND FOR THE NEXT FEW MINUTES, I WANT TO LOOK AT THIS WRITING AND TRY TO ENCOURAGE YOU THIS MORNING TO SEEK PEACE THE WAY THE BIBLE INSTRUCT US TO.

TWO THINGS WE ARE COMMANDED TO DO IN THIS PASSAGE: HERE’S THE FIRST.

1. WHEN PEACE IS HARD TO COME BY…PRAY.

2. SPEAKS PRIMARILY TO THOSE OCCASIONS IN LIFE WHEN PEACE IS LACKING

a. WHEN LIFE SEEMS TO BE UNRAVELING, AND NO MATTER HOW HARD WE WORK AT GATHERING IN THE FABRIC OF OUR LIVES, THE UNRAVELING CONTINUES.

b. YOU KNOW, MOST OF US ARE JUST A COUPLE OF EVENTS AWAY FROM OUR LIVES SEEMINGLY UNRAVELING.

i. OR AT LEAST LOOKING LIKE THAT FROM A FLESHLY PERSPECTIVE.

ii. AND WHEN THINGS BEGIN TO GO SOUTH, YOU’VE GOT SOME DECISIONS TO MAKE.

iii. WHAT SHOULD THOSE DECISIONS BE?

1. WELL, PAUL GIVE US SOME INSIGHT.

c. FIRST, WE SHOULD CHOOSE TO BE REASONABLE AND RESIST THE URGE TO LIVE WITH ANXIOUSNESS.

i. THE WORD IN VERSE 5 TRANSLATED “REASONABLENESS” IS A GREEK WORD THAT IS BEST DEFINED BY USING SEVERAL WORDS.

1. ALL THESE COMBINE TO MAKE UP REASONABLENESS.

a. THEY ARE GENTLENESS, MODERATION, AND PATIENCE.

b. THINK ABOUT THE OPPOSITES OF THOSE THREE WORDS.

i. THEY WOULD BE HARSHNESS, EXCESS, AND IMPATIENCE.

c. MANY PEOPLE CHOOSE THE LATTER WHEN PEACE IS HARD TO COME BY.

2. THEY LASH OUT IN ANGER, OR THEY TURN TO THE WRONG THINGS, OR THEY OFTEN TRY TO FIND A QUICK FIX, RATHER THAN PATIENTLY WAITING FOR GOD TO SHOW UP AND SHOW HIMSELF STRONG.

ii. SO THE FIRST THING TO DO WHAT PEACE IS HARD TO COME IS TO CHOOSE TO BE REASONABLE AND RESIST THE URGE TO LIVE IN ANXIOUSNESS.

d. REMEMBER THE PILLOW?

i. FOR MANY PEOPLE, THE TIME WHEN THEY EXPERIENCE THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF ANXIETY IS NIGHTTIME.

1. THE DAY IS WINDING DOWN, THINGS ARE GETTING A LITTLE QUIETER, THERE IS LESS TO OCCUPY OUR MINDS, SO THE ENEMY INVADES THE QUIET WITH OFTEN UNREALISTIC FEARS AND ENDLESS WORSE-CASE SCENARIOS.

ii. NO ONE IS EXEMPT FROM THIS. IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE.

e. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MENTAL HEALTH, OVER 16 MILLION ADULTS EXPERIENCED A MAJOR DEPRESSIVE ISSUE IN 2016 (WHICH IS THE MOST RECENT DATA THEY HAVE AVAILABLE)

i. THAT’S 6.7% OF THE POPULATION.

ii. AND I WAS QUITE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT THE AGE GROUP WITH THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCED A MAJOR DEPRESSIVE ISSUE WAS INDIVIDUALS AGED 18-25 (10.9% OF PEOPLE 18-25 YEARS OLD HAVE EXPERIENCED A MAJOR DEPRESSIVE ISSUE).

f. SO WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

i. CHOOSE REASONABLENESS AND RESIST ANXIETY.

g. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO CHOOSE PRAYER.

i. PAUL PRESENTS PRAYER THIS WAY: “PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING.”

1. PRAYER

a. PETITIONING GOD TO DO SOMETHING.

b. “GOD, THIS IS WHAT I NEED YOU TO DO.”

c. IN OTHER WORDS, I’VE RUN UP AGAINST SOMETHING HERE THAT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH, AND I NEED YOU TO…

i. GIVE ME WISDOM

ii. INTERVENE

iii. GIVE ME PATIENCE

iv. HELP ME TO LOVE

v. ETC., ETC., ETC.

2. SUPPLICATION

a. A HUMBLE REQUEST FOR HELP.

b. “GOD, I KNOW THAT ONLY YOU CAN DO THIS.”

c. IN OTHER WORDS, I DON’T HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN, AND IF IT DOES HAPPEN, IT WILL BE BECAUSE YOU MADE IT HAPPEN.

3. THANKSGIVING

a. GRATEFUL LANGUAGE.

b. “GOD, I THANK YOU THAT YOU ARE PRESENT AND ACTIVE IN MY LIFE AND MY SITUATIONS.

h. DO THESE THINGS, PAUL SAYS, AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS.

3. WHEN YOUR LIFE IS OUT OF ORDER...THINK RIGHTLY.

a. – 8 FINALLY, BROTHERS, WHATEVER IS TRUE, WHATEVER IS HONORABLE, WHATEVER IS JUST, WHATEVER IS PURE, WHATEVER IS LOVELY, WHATEVER IS COMMENDABLE, IF THERE IS ANY EXCELLENCE, IF THERE IS ANYTHING WORTHY OF PRAISE, THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS. 9 WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED AND RECEIVED AND HEARD AND SEEN IN ME—PRACTICE THESE THINGS, AND THE GOD OF PEACE WILL BE WITH YOU.

b. PART OF FINDING PEACE COMES FROM FOCUSING ON THE RIGHT THINGS.

c. AND HERE, INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING THE PEACE OF GOD TO RULE IN OUR LIVES, RIGHT THINKING LEADS TO RIGHT LIVING, WHICH IS AN INDICATOR THAT THE GOD OF PEACE IS PRESENT IN US.

d. AS WE THINK RIGHTLY, THE GOD OF PEACE WILL BRING THE PEACE OF GOD TO OUR LIVES, AND HE WILL HELP US GET OUR LIVES BACK IN ORDER.

i. SO HOW DO WE DO THIS?

1. BY FOCUSING ON THE THINGS PAUL LISTS HERE IN VERSE 8.

ii. FOCUS ON THINGS LIKE TRUTH, AND HONOR.

1. TRUTH ECLIPSES THE LIES OF THE DEVIL EVERY TIME.

a. JESUS WAS TEMPTED BY SATAN, HE SPOKE THE TRUTH OF THE WORD OF GOD TO HIM IN RESPONSE TO EACH OF HIS TEMPTATIONS.

2. HONOR SPEAKS OF THINGS THAT GAIN THE RESPECT OF PEOPLE.

a. TOO MANY PEOPLE LIVE WITH THE ATTITUDE THAT THEY CAN LIVE HOWEVER THEY CHOOSE.

b. BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH OTHERS, YOU MUST LIVE IN A RESPECTABLE MANNER, ESPECIALLY IF YOU CLAIM JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR.

c. FOCUS ON THINGS LIKE TRUTH AND HONOR.

iii. FOCUS ON THINGS LIKE JUSTICE AND PURITY.

1. JUSTICE SPEAKS TO DOING WHAT IS MORALLY PROPER.

2. PURITY SPEAKS OF HOLINESS AND DOING WHAT IS PRACTICALLY RIGHT.

iv. FOCUS ON THINGS LIKE BEAUTY AND REPUTATION.

1. THAT WORD LOVELY IS A WORD THAT MEANS TO BE FRIENDLY TOWARD OTHERS.

2. AND COMMENDABLE MEANS TO BE WELL SPOKEN OF.

a. IT SPEAKS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF REPUTATION, ESPECIALLY WITH THOSE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH.

v. FOCUS ON THINGS LIKE EXCELLENCE AND PRAISE.

1. BE A PERSON OF STRONG ETHICS.

2. AND A PERSON WHO LOOKS FOR PRAISEWORTHY THINGS; THE UPSIDE RATHER THAN THE DOWNSIDE.

e. AND THE GOD OF PEACE WILL BE WITH YOU.

CONCLUSION:

WHEN ANXIETY APPEARS, THE CURE IS PRAYER.

WHEN THE LIFE IS DISORDERLY, THE CURE IS MENTAL AND PRACTICAL DISCIPLINE.