The Guard of My Heart
Words by Jill Brooks, Brentwood, Essex, England
Trust in God brings about a supernatural inner peace that goes beyond all understanding.
I remember, as a little girl, having to remember Philippians 4:4-7. It was just a memory verse then. Just another thing to learn but as I grew up I learnt the significance of it.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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.
Rejoice! God tells me to rejoice (twice!). God is near to me, not far away as He sometimes feels. God also tells me to pray in these verses. If I feel anxious, I should pray prayers of thanksgiving. How mind altering. How…unnatural! When I feel consumed by my negative situation, overwhelmed and out of control, God says I should give thanks?! Naturally, I’d want to be angry, seek something to pin blame on or wallow in my confusion. God says I should pray gratefully. His workings are so different to mine.
Now for the best bit, these verses say that after praying with thanksgiving, God is able to guard my heart and mind (those bits that my anxiety usually wants to protect) with power that is beyond any kind of human understanding, in Christ. Basically, this verse has opened my eyes to how God wants me to trust Him in difficult situations.
I mentioned at the start that I have now come to understand the significance of these verses. God has used this passage a lot in my life since learning it in Sunday School. I remember it when I need to trust Him and I can’t see how a situation will work out.
One of these times was when I was at work (before lockdown) and I stepped into a small lift with two other colleagues that I didn’t really know and the lift broke down. The engineers took what felt like many hours to lower the lift to the next floor so the doors would open and we’d be free again. I felt claustrophobic, exposed and desperate. I was pregnant and worried that I could go into labour and no one could get to me. How long was I going to be in in here for? Both my colleagues got very angry that the lift wasn’t fixed quickly enough or that they should at least let me out fast. I stood there as a grown woman, held my pregnant belly and remembered those Sunday School verses. I started to lift my head out of the situation and began rejoicing. I gave thanks for anything and everything I could think of, and in all the chaos, God’s peace guarded me. I was calm. I needed the loo (!) but I wasn’t anxious anymore and God had held true to His word.
I have used His formula in many other stressful situations and have come to know that God is trustworthy and His word is practical.
Words by Jill Brooks, Brentwood, Essex, England
Jul 7
