“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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” (Philippians 4:6, 7 NIV).

There’s an awful lot of anxiety in our world today, so much that if Christians aren’t careful, we, too, will lose focus and be caught up in the whirlwinds of distress. Just as Jesus prophesied to His Apostles before His arrest and crucifixion (Matthew 24:6), there are “wars and rumors of wars” everywhere. All you have to do is watch the evening news on TV or read the headlines of any newspaper to see what I mean.

How can Christians keep calm and instill confidence in one another in this age of unrest? We can remind ourselves with the words of the Apostle Paul that God is in control, and that no matter how troubling the world is, He cares for us and has reserved a place of eternal peace for us.

If we understand that this life is a temporary existence for us, then we can make the most of any situation. As the Apostle Paul also said, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NIV). He meant that if he continued to live in this world, he would live for Christ, but if he died, he would gain eternal life with Christ. If that was true for Paul, it is true for every Christian. In light of those words, I like to say, “I’m going to live until I die, and then I will live forever! As a Christian, I can’t lose!” That belief gives me enormous peace of mind! In fact, it gives me “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding….”

I invite you to consider the hope that is in Christ Jesus, and the peace of God that trusting in Him brings. Let the worries of this world fall away from you and rest in the confidence that He cares for you and will take care of you, no matter what happens. Even if death comes to us, we can face it with the faith that in the instant immediately after death, we will begin to live forever. Indeed, it is most comforting to me to know that our loved ones who trusted in Christ before their death are now rejoicing with Him and eagerly awaiting the Last Day, when we will all be reunited not only with one another, but with Christ, too. In the words of one of my favorite hymns, “When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!” I don’t know about you, but I get giddy just thinking about it!

Truly, the peace of God can grant us calm and confidence in the face of some very unsettling circumstances, if we will only trust in Him. You see, that’s where the peace of God really comes from: our faith in Him and His love for us. Do you have the peace of God? I hope you know now that you can have it, and I pray that you will have it now and forevermore.