Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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.
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.
Philippians 4:6-9
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If you’ve been around the church for any length of time, you’ve likely heard Philippians 4:8 quoted. It is a familiar verse—that we should focus our attention and our minds on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Some of us can even repeat the list by heart.
But there’s something incredibly important about this verse that often goes overlooked—the context!
The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, didn’t place this verse in isolation. Just like almost everything in Scripture, it is part of a broader conversation. It’s not an instruction without promise. It’s actually part of a conversation on how we find peace in our lives.
In the verses just before, we are instructed to bring our worries, our anxieties, and our struggles to God through prayer. He encourages us to present our requests with thanksgiving, and in return, we are promised something remarkable: “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
That’s a verse we know well, right? Many of us have leaned on it during difficult times, trusting in God’s peace to guard our hearts.
But Paul doesn’t stop there.
He goes on to reveal another key to experiencing peace that transcends understanding. Immediately after talking about prayer, he instructs us to shift our focus to “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.”
And then ties that practice again to peace: “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.”
In other words, peace doesn’t just come from praying about our anxieties. It also comes from what we fill our minds with each day. Our thoughts shape our worldview, our emotions, our responses, our actions, and our words. When we dwell on the noise of this world—ungodly entertainment, toxic media, negative influences—our hearts and minds become restless, anxious, and unsettled.
But when we intentionally focus on things that are true, noble, pure, and praiseworthy, we invite the peace of God into our lives in a deeper way.
Are you in need of more of God’s peace in your life today?
If so, Paul gives you three steps to begin realizing it: 1) Present your requests to God with thanksgiving; 2) Focus your attention on the things of God; and 3) Put this into practice.
God’s peace is available to you today. And that is exactly how we find it.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the promise of your peace. Help me to turn away from the noise of this world and focus my thoughts on what is true, noble, and praiseworthy. Help me do that today and tomorrow and for the rest of my life. Amen.