experience God's peace

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 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: 4-7

Surprisingly, I actually gasped when the “check engine” light went on in my car last week. I immediately started to go into panic mode. I HATE it when something goes wrong with my car. Instead of going into full blown panic mode, though, I stopped and calmed down. I started praying and started calmly evaluating the situation.

Okay, there are a lot of reasons why the check engine light can go on and most of them don’t mean that my car will instantly blow up or stop and leave me stranded. My car was not driving any differently, did not sound different, and the temperature gauge was right where it should be. I had recently checked the fluid levels and they were fine. I previously had this happen with another car when all it needed was to have the gas cap tightened. I’d give that a try first.

It turned out not to be a loose gas cap so I made an appointment to get it looked at and fixed. My mind automatically turned to thoughts of how much would this cost and would I have enough money to cover it? But instead of worrying, I left it up to God to make sure my car ran fine and got me where I needed to go until the car could be worked on. I also left it up to God to make sure I could handle the cost.

After checking my car, an oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. It was covered by the warranty, so no cash out of my pocket for that. In checking my car, the mechanics also noted a small leak in one of the radiator hoses. They replaced it – also covered by my warranty. All I ended up paying for was the oil change I had asked them to do in addition to fixing my car.

Thank you, God, for taking such good care of me and for keeping me calm and peaceful while dealing with a problem that would normally stress me out.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
1 Thessalonians 5:23

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Colossians 3:15

The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.
Psalm 29:11

I will lie down in peace and sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Psalm 4:8

I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27

May grace and peace be yours, sent to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ephesians 1:2