Peace ❤️ 2024 – Week 4

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6‭-‬7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

[6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I came across this Helen Keller quote during the week “I do not want the peace which passeth understanding, I want the understanding which bringeth peace.” And it had me thinking 🤔

What understanding is Helen Keller referring to? Understanding the meaning of peace? Or of what causes the existence or non-existence of peace? Is she referring to understanding God’s definition of peace?

Why is Helen Keller longing for the understanding that brings peace rather than the other way around as we read in Philippians 4: 7?

So I took a step back to find out about who Helen Keller is, and boy, was I surprised at what I read and am still reading. Helen Keller was the first deafblind person in the United States (US) to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Radcliffe college of Havard University.

She was born healthy in 1880, but just before turning two years old, she contracted a disease that left her deaf and blind after full recovery. These also caused her not to speak properly. She went on to be a famous author and activist, mainly for people with disabilities. There is a lot of material about her out there on the internet. Please feel free to look her up online.

Even so, I can’t help but wonder if Keller ever found that understanding. Her accomplishments over time, as an author, activist, and educator, may indicate that she did. She made it a goal in life to help others who were disadvantaged like her.

In contrast, apostle Paul is encouraging the Philippians, especially believers who are going through some hard times to remain steadfast in the Lord, be grateful in their attitude, and pray always to God. And God’s peace that passes all understanding will remain in their lives 🙏 He did not say they will receive the understanding that brings peace.

I find it interesting that Paul himself was blind for some time before Jesus healed him. He went on to be one of the greatest followers of Jesus: Paul was the apostle who spread the good news of Jesus Christ to gentiles and to others who were not part of God’s chosen people, the Israelites.

My friends, in their own ways, these two people encountered God’s peace. Helen Keller, through understanding her limitations and rising above to defeat them and even going beyond to help others 🙏 The apostle Paul, through God’s grace, understood that the gospel of Jesus Christ was for Jew and Gentile alike. Thank God for Peter, Paul, and all those early apostles who built the church here on earth to spread God’s message of love and peace to all.

For me, personally, I believe one does not need to understand or know God’s mind to want His peace. Because I truly believe & know from the bottom of my heart that the peace of God surpasses ALL understanding. Yes, God’s peace surpasses all barriers, all races, and anything else that Satan wants to trick us into believing. God’s peace in Jesus Christ defeated Satan at the cross for our salvation.

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

[6] For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

When we doubt & fear God’s calling in our lives, because of our circumstances or everything else happening around us, we forget about Him and cease to pray. We forget to acknowledge God in our lives. We fall short 😞

We don’t need anything else to understand what God’s peace is. As Paul advises in Philippians 4, pray to God in everything with thanksgiving “... and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

[9] Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. 

Peace be with you all, Amen 🙏