Peace like a river.

Steve Brown:
Peace like a river. Let’s talk about it on this edition of Key Light.

Matthew Porter:
This is Key Life, here to let Christians know that God isn’t mad at them. Keep listening and you’ll hear that because of what Jesus has done, you’re welcomed home into the family of God because of His radical grace free from the penalties of sin and never alone in your suffering.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. We’re looking at the supernatural things that a believer can count on and that the world doesn’t understand. It’s from Philippians 4:7. And we have seen that we live a supernatural life. There’s a supernatural joy, a supernatural reaction, a supernatural relationship and resource and rest. And also, and we mentioned it yesterday, a supernatural reassurance, Philippians 4:7a.

And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts.

I went to be with a couple not too long ago who had gone through a very, very difficult time. They had lost everything that was important to them, they should have been devastated. And we sat down and I said, talk to me. And they said, Steve, we’re doing okay, and we don’t understand why we’re doing okay, but we have a strange peace that we’ve never experienced before. That’s him. Now, there are two things I want you to see about this verse. The first is the word for guard is a Greek military word. It is the word that is, that points to safety in the garrison. And the second thing I want you to note is that in the Bible, the heart is the seat of all emotions. If a man turns away from God, his heart turns away from God. If your emotions are cool toward God, the Bible says.

Your heart was hardened.

Now, go back and look at that verse.

And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will stand at the door of the garrison of your house and your heart.

Your emotions, the things that would ordinarily stir you up. And when it happens, when the Prince of Peace happens, it’s peace like a river. And there is no explanation for it. Somebody tells about an ad in a Texas newspaper. John Yates lost his dog, but he got him back with the following classified. Lost or strayed dog, acutely aware of national and world politics. He shakes all the time. Well, when you look around the world, we’d be like that dog shaking all the time. I mean, there’s plenty to be scared about. And if you watch the news, and I’m a news junkie. Every morning I check out what’s going on in the world. And that’s the reason for the first hour, I’ve got to pray to get it out of my system, because the Prince of Peace says, I’m here. I’ve got it. I’ve got your back. James Seward wrote a poem. Let me read it to you.

It is his will that I should cast my care on him each day. He also bids me not to cast my confidence away. But O, how foolishly I act when taken unaware. I cast away my confidence and carry all my own care.

Thomas Kelly, he’s a contemplative, Quaker contemplative by the way, talks about there being an altar in our hearts. And on that altar, there is always a candle, and God is always present there. And in the midst of the worst storm, the hardest things you can imagine Kelly says.

Go to that altar, be still, kneel, watch and wait, and something supernatural will happen, and that is the peace of God that passes all understanding.

Now, if you’re a Christian, you know exactly what I’m talking about, because you’ve experienced it. There are times in my life when I should not be at peace, but I was. I wasn’t even consciously going to the altar in my heart, but for some reason, I sense this is going to be okay. And so, whatever happens in our world, and there’s some bad things happening, this is going to be okay. In our lives, when you go through a divorce, and division, and anger, and hatred, you can say out loud, this is going to be okay. No matter what you’re going through, if you’ve lost your job, if people have turned their backs on you, if people have criticized you for things that you never did, it’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay because God is the God of the Universe and he’s over every molecule in your life and my life. And just the reminder, which is what I’m doing right now for you, just the reminder that no matter what it is, it’s going to be okay, brings a supernatural peace that simply can’t explain by unbelievers. It is a peace from the Prince of Peace. It is a peace from a God who never ever has perspiration on his upper lip. You think about that. Amen.

It’s Wednesday, and sometimes when I have some extra time on Wednesday, I take the time to answer one or two questions. We love getting your questions, by the way. You can call 1-800-KEY-LIFE, 24 7, follow instructions, record your question, and sometimes we put that on the air. Or you can send your question to

Key Life Network
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or if you’re in Canada, you can send your question to

Key Life Canada

P.O. Box 28060

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Or if you want to, you can e-mail your question to Steve@keylife.org and we love your questions, and we take your questions seriously. If you can, by the way, help us financially, please do. And I promise that we’ll squeeze every dime for the glory of God. We are a not for profit ministry. You can take it off your income tax if you want to, and we will use it to touch other people in the name of Christ. Enough said. If you can’t, we understand. Let’s turn to one or two of these questions.

First is an e-mail. How can you cope with loneliness? Well, I think the first thing you need to recognize is that the loneliness itself, is a loneliness for God. Augustine said.

Thou has created us for thyself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.

But on top of that, we are lonely because we want someone with skin on, and sometimes it’s a lonely place in which to live. So, the first thing you do is that you go to God and you tell him exactly how you feel. You say, God, I’m lonely here, people don’t like me, I don’t have any friends, and could you fix that for me, not just with yourself, that would help too, but with some other people. And you’ll be surprised what a prayer like that will accomplish after you’ve prayed it, and you’re sensitive about it. And then secondly, if you’re not in a church, go to a church. And if you’re not in a small group, go to a small group, because that’s where relationships are formed. And then I would say one other thing that you have to be careful about, friendships don’t happen overnight. You’ve got to give them time. You’ve got to trade off bits of your soul to make sure that the one you’re naming as a friend doesn’t stomp it to death. And so, begin to travel and to talk and to be with and say things and see the reaction that comes because of what you have said. And if you’re treated with respect and understanding, you can tell more and eventually you’ll have a friend for life. But again, back to what I originally said. Loneliness at its very heart is a part of the DNA of every human being in the universe because it is a loneliness for God. It is a loneliness that comes to remind us that He’s there. Just as hunger presupposes bread, and thirst presupposes water, lonliness presupposes a God. Alright, one other very quick note. What about the replacement theory? That means that the church has taken the place of Israel. And Israel is no different than Italy. And the replacement theory says that when the covenant was given to the church, it was removed from God’s people and they are no longer relevant. And you say, well, what do you think about that? I think it’s nonsense. I don’t agree with that. Now, when you get into details, there’s a lot more to be said than what I have time to say today as we talk about this question. But the truth is God’s not through with his ancient people. They are different and there is a significant and important way that they are God’s people. That’s why every day I pray for the peace and the security and the blessing of Israel. Got to go. Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network.