Peace Passing Understanding

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." —Philippians 4:7

I am truly thankful to my Lord Jesus Christ for the peace that He has given to me through His Word and Sacraments. Times are difficult right now with my bride in the hospital being treated for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). I have to confess there are times where I just don't understand how we are making it and it is at those times I quickly realize that Jesus is carrying us. I can't stand, but He stands for me.

My loving wife and I have noticed the great comfort we are getting from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Being in a hospital gives a different perspective to the both of us as to what it can mean to live under the boot of the law. We look around us and watch as people use the law written on their hearts to try to soothe their souls when faced with extremely difficult times. We hear allot of comments from others talking about what "we need to do" in order to overcome cancers, etc. I hear much talk of "if you are just positive enough" or "keep thinking positively and you will kick this problem." When I hear these sort of claims, I can't help but recall Luther's struggle with the law. Luther would ask something such as, "Just how many good works must we do in order to be justified by God?" The answer he found from the Scriptures is "none." Justification is a free gift given to us by God. We can't possibly do any works to remove our sins.

Cancer is similar, in a certain sense, for the patient suffering from it. There is nothing a cancer patient can do to remove the cancer from his or her own body. Cancer patients must trust in a physician to cure them. We trust in God to work through means (such as her doctors and nurses) to bring healing to my wife. How many positive thoughts does it take to cure cancer? The answer is "none." There is no peace of mind to be had if one is trusting in themselves for a good outcome. Especially if the outcome is bleak and in which case, the sick is then embattled by despair brought upon them because they didn't do enough. They didn't think positively enough. They didn't do enough works in order to heal themselves. How horrible to live under such oppression!

Knowing that God is in control and that no matter what we are in His hands is powerful. In the Lord's Prayer we ask for God's will to be done "on Earth as it is in Heaven." There is a great deal of relief knowing that God's will is going to be done. Sometimes I don't know what to ask for, but God does know and He will ask for me (Romans 8:26-27).

There is a vast difference between "just think enough positive thoughts and you will be alright" versus having a positive outlook over an outcome because of the peace that comes through the faith given to us by the Holy Spirit whereby we trust in the promises of God. I am not positive because of my works, but because of the work of Christ. My positive outlook is given to me by God and His promises. He is faithful and He never fails. On the other hand, I am not faithful and sin. I constantly need His forgiveness. I need Jesus always.

I can rest knowing that God is the sustainer of my life. He provides my daily bread and tends to my physical needs. This is true for all of us. There is great peace knowing that it is God who is "doing it." 

I can't explain the peace of God which passes all understanding. If I could, then it wouldn't go beyond my comprehension. Nonetheless, I know that there is such a peace and it is given to us by God for the sake of His Son, Jesus. It is my prayer that those individuals I meet at the hospital will be given faith to repent  and receive Christ, so that they too will be given peace which affects all areas of our lives. May the Lord grant them peace which passes all understanding. Amen!