Jesus, Surround Me with Peace
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6–7
As we do our part (rejoice in the Lord, pursue a gentle spirit, pray about everything, and cling to gratitude), God does his part. He bestows upon us the peace of God. Note, this is not a peace from God. Our Father gives us the very peace of God. He downloads the tranquility of the throne room into our world, resulting in an inexplicable calm. We should be worried, but we aren’t. We should be upset, but we are comforted. The peace of God transcends all logic, scheming, and efforts to explain it.1
During my recent health upheaval, anxiety and worry surged within me at the most inopportune times. Granted, I had myself to thank for many of my bouts with these soul disrupters because I managed to worry myself right into a tizzy. But there were other times when I’d be sitting at my table, enjoying my morning coffee and time with the Lord. Worship music whispered in the background while I journaled passages of Scripture that spoke to me.
My heart and thoughts were fixed on Jesus. I’d found peace in my storm. Yet several times, in the midst of those sacred moments, surges of anxiety overtook me in the worst way. One moment my heart felt at rest, full of peace, and the next I felt prickly all over, like the fear-lion pounced from the shadows and roared in my face. I had no defense to prevent it because I never expected it or saw it coming. Those moments made me despair all the more. Lord, did I miss something here? I’m doing everything I know to do. Help me, please!
I learned that when you go through a prolonged trial, it may affect your serotonin levels. And when your serotonin level drops, involuntary anxiety surges can increase. So not only was I dealing with my own anxious and worrisome tendencies, I was dealing with my body’s involuntary response to the very things that troubled my soul (our losses, my health, and the fear of what worse thing might happen). I felt stuck between a rock and a hard place and had no idea what to do.2
One morning, in my desperation, I cried out to the Lord. “Jesus, You promised to give me wisdom when I asked for it. You promised to lavish wisdom on me—more than I need, in fact—when I ask You in faith, knowing that You’ll come through for me. So I will not waver in unbelief. I’ll wait in expectancy for You to speak to me and give me the strategy to get through this. I know You’ll come through for me.”
Some days He seemed silent. Other days He dropped breadcrumbs—enough truth to help me take the next step. But one day He laid out a strategy that would carry me through the rest of the battle:
You REST while I work.
You FEAST while I fight.
You WAIT to take flight.
Rest, feast, and wait? My storm compelled me to strive, starve, and strain at the oars. Clearly, there’s a way for us to flourish in our storms. When we allow the Prince of Peace to guard and guide us, the enemy can’t touch us.
Rest
During times of stress, chaos, and hardship, our souls get stirred up and our instinctive response is to do something. But when the storm in our souls drives us to strive, it’s the perfect time to stop so we can more intimately know Jesus in this place.
Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46:10 NASB
I love this passage.
We tend to read the words be still and cease striving as a gentle whisper from God. However, if you read this passage in its context, you’ll notice something altogether different. Read Psalm 46 and you’ll hear the thundering voice of God roaring loudly above the chaos and confusion of this life.
Sometimes we hear Him in quietness. But sometimes He makes His presence known in power and strength. This is one of those times.
When we strive and strain, we must remember our smallness before God. We must hear His mighty charge to trust Him because He is God. We are not. So we can rest. We must rest. And when we’re restless, we need to get back to our place under the shadow of His wing.3 Look again at the passage above. The word cease translates4 this way:
The word know in this passage translates5 this way:
Think about your top area of angst and anxiety. Is it finances? Does restlessness compel you to get ahead of God and apply for a third job even though He’s not asked that of you? Or maybe it’s a relationship. Are you tempted to take matters into your own hands and force an outcome before it is time? Maybe it’s your health. You’ve grown accustomed to treating symptoms rather than finding their root cause. Whatever drives you to strive and stirs up anxiety in you, the best balm for your soul is to learn deeper levels of rest even before the matter resolves.
Finding a quiet place to rest, away from the chaos of your storm, allows you to hear God’s voice and receive a wisdom and direction that’s unique to your situation. By that I mean, make it a daily priority to meet with God and read His Word. Make it a consistent priority to retreat with Him for an extended period of time. Give time and space in your everyday life to ask God for wisdom and then listen for it. Do only what He says. No more. No less. In due time, you’ll experience the fruit of the abiding life.
We do much harm to our souls and our circumstances when we race through our stress, trying to avoid dealing with what troubles our soul, or when we decide to force an issue and take matters into our own hands apart from faith. Unless we develop a habit of resting in and trusting in God, we’ll develop the habit of rushing and reacting to our circumstances. Robert Morgan writes:
God won’t quit on us and we must not quit either. Month by month, year by year, and decade by decade, we can have greater calmness and composure, growing as sturdy as oaks with the passing of seasons. Our anxious nerves can learn to relax in His love, lean on His promises, and trust in His grace.6
There’s a time to engage and contend for the promises of God, and many of us know how to war on that front. But in the midst of the battle, so few of us know the warfare power of a heart at rest. Jesus modeled this when He slept in a boat that was about to be capsized in the storm.7 He didn’t worry. He didn’t panic. He didn’t feel an impending sense of doom. He took a nap. And when He got up from His nap, He took authority over the storm.
With regard to your worries and cares, what would it look like for you to cease striving—to let drop, sink down, relax, and be quiet? How might you lean away from the thing that stresses you and lean in to the One who holds you? In this very area of stress and strain, imagine what it would be like to experience a deeper intimacy with Jesus, a deeper sense of rest in Him. Can you picture it? What would a more restful, less stressed-out you look like? I pray you’ll take some time to get a vision for what God has for you in the way of deeper, soul-restoring rest.
Look again at Psalm 46:10, and discern what obedience would look like for you. Here’s a way to personalize this passage:
Father, You know what troubles my soul today. But I will trust Your Word. Right now, obedience for me is to take my hands off this thing; to sink down deep into Your love; to let go of my white-knuckle grip; to leave it alone on Your altar; and to be quiet with You for a while. Help me to perceive and discern Your presence here. Help me to distinguish the sharp difference between the enemy threats and Your potent promises. Show me a better way to view my circumstances. Help me to experience You and know You so intimately—especially where I tend to strive and worry and strain—so I can more fully know that You really are God. I exalt You over my worries, over my fears, over my circumstances, and over the enemy who seeks to destroy me. You are far greater than all of these, and I am hidden with You. Help me to know You more. In Jesus’ matchless name I pray. Amen.
It’s important to note that in this context, resting may mean a number of things that require initiative on your part:
All of these, in increasing measures, became like balm for my soul. During the worst parts of my health struggle I wasn’t able to engage in strenuous exercise, but I could go for a brisk walk, and it did more for me than I could’ve imagined. You may need to upgrade your priority on self-care. But it’s not enough to go for a walk or to go to bed on time. Learning when to engage your troubles with a right heart and mind (not a stressed one) and when to let go and entrust your cares to God is a critical part of the process. OB-GYN Dr. Carol Peters-Tanksley joined me on my radio show to talk about the physical and spiritual implications of fear and anxiety. In her book Overcoming Fear and Anxiety Through Spiritual Warfare, she wrote
Instead of eliminating stress, your goal should be to make stress work for you rather than against you. Unmanaged stress is a huge source of fear and anxiety. As with your physical health and your thinking, you need to learn how to take charge of your stress. You will be able to manage a lot more stress than you ever thought possible if you remember two things: you always have more choices than you think, and your “stress muscles” will strengthen as you alternate periods of exertion with periods of rest. . . . Out loud, place your worries, fears, stress, or anxiety in God’s hands, and ask Him to give you rest. You can know that He will be caring for you even as you sleep.8
This is a challenge for each and every one of us. Rest is an act of faith. It can also be an act of war against the enemy of your soul. Do you know what happens when we take our hands off of our cares and entrust them to a living, loving, all-powerful God? He intervenes in the most magnificent ways! Picture Jesus with that smile that goes all the way up to His eyes (this is my favorite way to picture Him). Imagine the sparkle in His eyes as He puts His scarred hands on your face, and with full assurance and joy He says to you, “My dear one, I want you to rest while I work. It makes my heart sing when you trust Me. So rest those restless parts of you and see what I—in My love and wisdom—will do for you.”
Jesus Himself said these words to His disciples, and they were meant for us too:
Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.
John 14:27 HCSB
Picture Jesus in front of you again, this time urging you not to let your heart be troubled or fearful. The word troubled translates this way:9
Review this list and consider how easily we are stirred, agitated, and perplexed. Why is that? My guess in part is that we have an enemy that’s studied us for many years and knows exactly how to agitate us into a place of distress and double-mindedness. And then there’s the condition of our souls; we’ve allowed unresolved hurts, fears, and disappointments to fester beneath the surface. We race through our days. We push down the stuff that surfaces and we numb the moment with faux comforts so we don’t have to feel what’s really troubling us inside. But eventually Jesus wants to bring these things to the surface so He can show us how to access His peace and rest when we need it most.
If you find yourself more easily agitated these days, or if your soul is in a state of unrest, perhaps it’s time to come away for a while and find a new sense of rest in Your Savior, who’s been waiting for you.
Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always].
Colossians 3:15 AMP
Feast
When you’re tempted to strive, it’s time to rest. When you’re taunted by the enemy’s threats, it’s time to feast.
In the medieval times, armies would feast before heading out to war, both to raise spirits and to store up strength because they most likely wouldn’t eat well while fighting. They knew this might be their last meal with friends and family. How much more powerful is it that Jesus prepares the feast for us on the battlefield! And why? To raise our spirits and to give us rest. Not because it’s our last meal, but because it’s His way of making sure we are filled with what we need to win a sound victory. We are not malnourished soldiers fighting for our lives; we are royal heirs watching our enemy be defeated.10
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Psalm 23:5 AMP
In Christ Jesus, we have a place at the Table of Grace. He’s made us heirs of God, joint heirs with Him.11 When the enemy of our soul seeks to steal, kill, and destroy us, it’s in that very place, on that very battlefield, that Jesus puts on a feast. He sets up a royal table and furnishes us with everything we need and then some. The word table in this verse translates12 this way:
Imagine that! Right in front of the enemy of our souls, right in the face of his scowls and taunts, Jesus lays out a royal feast for us. This isn’t a tossed-together picnic. It’s a battlefield feast—a table flourishing with nourishment and provision.
For me, this feast looks like fresh words from Scripture jumping off the page during moments of reflection, worship songs that usher me right into the Lord’s gates with a heart of gratitude, an unexpected text from a friend with a timely word of hope, a special dinner date with our kids where we laugh until our faces hurt, a bike ride by the lake, where I’m reminded of God’s goodness, and the right book at the right time that helps reframe my perspective.
Jesus sets your table with what you need when you need it. Look around and notice how He provides for you. Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Imagine Jesus with eyes of steel looking square at His enemy as He provides for you on the battlefield. He picks up a chalice and pours anointing oil on your head as a sign that you are set apart and fully equipped to make this journey and to emerge from your battles stronger, wiser, and more discerning. Every single time.
Jesus prepares a kingly table and anoints us with His power and authority, and in doing so serves the enemy notice (and reminds us) that we belong to the King of kings. We are citizens of a great and mighty kingdom, one that the gates of hell will never overtake or defeat. We are part of the conquering army of God.
Once I grasped the significance of the Table of Grace and Jesus’ willingness to meet me on the battlefield, I decided to take Him up on it.
When the enemy taunted me with fears, what-ifs, and imagined terrors, I’d picture myself at the table. And this may or may not work for you, but I’d have communion right in my own home. I’d lift up the bread and remember that Jesus was broken for me so that I could be made whole. Then I’d lift up my grape juice, hold it up, and remember the price Jesus paid for my salvation and freedom and the victory He won for me there. Amazingly, in that place of access and remembrance, my worries and fears seemed trite in the face of His glory and grace.
But this isn’t just about communion. There’s something sacredly beautiful about breaking bread with fellow Christ-followers. I know that—especially amidst certain storms—the thought of having people over sounds downright daunting. But even during such times, a meal around someone’s table can be more important than we know. What if we slowed down long enough to consider our mealtimes with family and friends a reminder of God’s promise to provide for, deliver, and defend us?
Just as rest is an act of faith, feasting at the table can be an act of war—a reminder to the enemy that we will continue to partake of the Lord’s provision until He comes again. We will laugh, enjoy, and delight in the Lord, even through the most trying seasons of life. We can and we will feast at His table on our battlefields because Jesus knows how much we need reminders of all that we possess in Him.
We tend to isolate when we’re anxious and worried. Maybe it’s time to plan a party.
Trevin Wax writes
Happiness is contagious. Easter morning overtakes Good Friday’s mourning. Whenever we eat together, we put a stake in the ground and make a declaration: The Lord of the resurrection is the Lord of the resurrection feast. When we gather, we demonstrate our faith that resurrection life will overcome death, that good will ultimately triumph over evil, that all of this world’s heartache is merely “the storm before the calm,” as Andrew Peterson sings. . . . So draw up your battle lines . . . gather around this table, raise a toast to the King and the coming kingdom, and fight back.13
Wait to Take Flight
My health relapse lasted over two years. And just when I thought my season of replenishment was upon me, I had a relational conflict that blindsided me. Hit me out of nowhere. I was already battle-weary; I couldn’t believe God allowed the enemy to shoot an arrow so close to home. Have you ever been there? Have you walked through a long, drawn-out war, sensed your breakthrough was on the horizon, only to step on a landmine?
David and his mighty men returned from the battlefield weary, worn out, and ready to reunite with their families. But when they returned home, they were undone by what they saw.
Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and Ziklag; they had crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground. They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.
When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more.
1 Samuel 30:1–4
They wept until they could weep no more. Hard to fathom their devastation. Already exhausted from the battle, David and his men stood on the edges of their hometown only to find ruins, ashes, and loss. To make matters worse, David’s men—in their traumatized state—turned on David and threatened to stone him. Let’s read what happened next:
David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
1 Samuel 30:6
Their souls were grieved. Their hearts were broken. On top of it all, David’s closest confidants turned on him. It was like the enemy dropped a bomb in the heart of all David loved and cared about. What did David do in his weary, fragile state? He strengthened himself in the Lord. What did that look like for him? My guess is that he reminded his soul what was true about God. He remembered his history with God. He recited the promises of God. Maybe he even sang a song or two like he did when he was a shepherd boy.
Interestingly enough, this low, low point for David preceded his promotion. A couple chapters later we read that David was anointed king of Judah.
Don’t you think it’s interesting that just prior to David’s promotion, he endured a trial that struck him deep in the center of his soul? How often the enemy strikes hardest just before we’re about to break through. We double over in despair, barely able to catch our breath. And during such times, we feel pretty sure that God has looked away or forgotten about us.
Has this happened to you? Maybe the enemy shot a fiery arrow right into the heart of your marriage, or at your children or a close relationship. Nothing makes us lose heart faster than a conflict or heartbreak close to home. When the enemy is allowed to get away with what he does, we cannot fathom that God is carefully watching the battle, orchestrating circumstances for His glory and for our benefit. But He is and will continue to do so.
There were times that I felt the long battle down in my bones. It had become a part of me. Instead of recounting God’s promises, I recounted how many hours, days, and years I’d been fighting this battle, and it caused me despair, which made me especially susceptible to anxiety. But when I looked up and strengthened myself in the Lord, I found new strength, new courage to take a few more steps. And though He promises grace for each moment, He also promises increase to those who wait on Him.
God is actively involved in our lives so we can hold on to the promise that after we have suffered awhile, He Himself will rescue, restore, and establish us.
In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.
1 Peter 5:10
When you’re tempted to strive, it’s time to rest. When you’re taunted by the enemy’s threats, it’s time to feast. When you feel defeated and you’ve lost your motivation in battle, it’s time to wait on the Lord, expectantly believing that He will renew your strength. His word is true. It’s impossible for Him to fail you.
Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28–31
The word wait in this passage also means to trust in the Lord, and it translates this way:14
Has God made certain promises to you? How long has it been since you reviewed them, prayed through them, and stood in faith because of them? And if you’re someone who answers no to those questions, I invite you—better yet, Jesus invites you—to search the Scriptures for a promise that speaks to your problem. Talk to Him about it. Pray the passage. And dare to trust that God’s Word is true for you.
We all become battle-weary. We need fresh strength, new zeal, and the otherworldly power Jesus promised us. How do we receive such gifts? We position ourselves on the path of His promises. In other words, we reengage our faith, we reset our gaze, we tell ourselves the redemptive truth—that it’s impossible for God to fail us. And then, we wait on Him.
Maybe it’s time to linger in God’s presence, to lean in and eagerly wait for Him. Ask God for a fresh vision for your next place of promise. Ask Him to show you what new power and new strength would look like in you and through you. Identify more with His promises than you do with your problems. And if you’ve gone too long without seeing the sun, determine to remember that your days in glory will far exceed your days of trouble. Today would be a great day to tell your soul to trust in the name of Jesus, because He will most certainly come for you!
The Spirit is calling us to dance with him into the war zone, fully armed and prepared to destroy the enemy with grace, with spiritual power.15