Day 17 of Journey Through Philippians: The Transcendent Peace of God

Commentary As his letter begins to close, Paul shares a number of short, succinct instructions as he frequently does toward the end of his letters (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22; 1 Corinthians 16:13-18; 2 Corinthians 13:11). At first glance, these quick commands might seem random and unrelated, but they actually reiterate themes we’ve seen throughout the letter. For example, Paul writes in verse 9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” This relates to Paul’s previous command: “join together in following my example” (Philippians 3:17). Or again, in verse 4, Paul instructs readers to “rejoice.” This is a verb Paul has already used six times in this letter (Philippians 1:18; 2:17; 2:18; 2:28; 3:1). Paul’s most famous command in this section also relates to things he has said earlier, but in an ironic way. In verse 6, Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything . . . .” This is ironic because Paul has already admitted to having “anxiety” in this letter (Philippians 2:28). It is also ironic because this is a behavior that seems to be commended elsewhere in this letter. The word translated here as “anxious” is the same word translated as “concern” in Philippians 2:20: “I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.” However, Paul is not commanding the Philippians to suddenly stop having all feelings of anxiety, and he isn’t telling them not to have concern for others. Instead, Paul is instructing them to let go of counterproductive thoughts that reflect a doubt that “the Lord is near” and to replace their worry with prayer: “ . . . in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:5-6). Paul then goes on to share a promise about what they could experience if they would give their concerns to God in prayer: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). This promise would have been particularly striking for Paul’s original Philippian readers. At the time this letter was written, Philippi was home to a contingent of Roman soldiers whose task was to guard something that was considered the pride of the Roman Empire: the Pax Romana (“Roman peace”). In these verses, Paul plays off these familiar images to teach that God promises a type of peace that “transcends” anything they could understand, even the celebrated peace of Rome. Where Rome’s peace needed to be guarded by soldiers, God’s peace is so great that the very peace itself can guard our hearts and our minds. This teaching is just as true for us today. We live in an anxious and restless culture, but God doesn’t want us to worry about what will come or what will be. He wants us to be consumed by peace – to find rest in the fact that Jesus is Lord and Jesus is near. All He asks is that we surrender our worried thoughts and trust Him to guide us in the way that He alone can. Scripture PHILIPPIANS 4:4–9 FINAL EXHORTATIONS 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 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. 9 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. Questions In Philippians 4:8, Paul instructs his readers to focus their thoughts on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable.” What does this look like in practice? What are some negative thoughts you need to eliminate from your thinking? What are some excellent thoughts you could dwell on more? According to Philippians 4:6, what should be included in our prayers for peace? What are some anxious concerns you need to give to God in prayer? Use this space to write down your own prayer.