OVERCOMING ANXIETY PART 2: "The Antidote for Anxiety"

Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

In our last post we saw that anxiety is one of the most destructive of human emotions. It is toxic and wreaks havoc on us – spirit, soul and body. Hence Scripture exhorts us: do not be anxious about anything.

The good news is that there is an antidote to this poisonous emotion: the peace of God.

It’s important to understand that the peace of God is not a humanly manufactured state of mind. The peace of God, insists Paul,  surpasses all understanding; that is, the unaided human mind cannot comprehend it nor attain it. Rather, it is God’s own peace, a heavenly peace, imparted by the Holy Spirit to one’s innermost self.

Nor is the peace of God the mere absence of stress, like the calming of a lake after the wind stops blowing. That is nothing more than the relief that comes from a change of circumstance. The peace of God, rather, keeps us rooted, grounded and calm in the midst of the storm -- while the wind is still blowing! That truly is beyond understanding.

This peace, says Paul, keeps our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The word keeps, which is translated guards in some translations, is a military term. It means that the peace of God is like a garrison, a mighty fortress that shields and protects. Specifically, it guards both our hearts (our deepest personal center) and our minds (our thought life) in Christ Jesus.

How wonderful it is to know, then, that there is an antidote for the anxiety that can so easily overwhelm us. The question is: how can I experience the peace of God on a practical, everyday level?

Fortunately, Paul answers that question for us and it will be the subject of our next One Minute Meditation. So stay tuned.