Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-4:7 (NKJV)

Key points

• Do you look forward to New Year’s Day? The excuse to dream big, to put away the previous year?
• God doesn’t require us to have clarity on His ways for our paths to be made straight.
• Listen to the Peace series and others on Real Hope | The Podcast.

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Like many, I look forward to New Year’s Day. I love the excuse to dream big. To put the previous year behind me and approach this new one with fresh enthusiasm. But this year I struggled.

Last year was a tough one and I found myself questioning whether God is actually on my side. I struggled to trust, struggled to find peace in the chaos as wave after wave of disappointment, wrestle and pain washed over me.

I’ve tried to understand, to bring clarity. What is God doing, and how on earth is He going to bring good out of this mess? But in my desperate search for answers, all I’ve found is MORE anxiety and less and less peace.

God doesn’t require us to have clarity on His ways for our paths to be made straight.

Then I found the verses above, and I breathed again… the verses are a beautiful reminder that God doesn’t require us to have clarity on His ways for our paths to be made straight.

We are His beloved kids, and just like my kids don’t need to understand how the economy works, or about my job security, or about how to ensure they can eat each night, so we don’t need to understand the big picture of the story God is writing with our lives.

So I breathe again now, and tell Him every detail of my pain. I give it to Him and remind myself that He is the God who cares for me and knows every intimate aspect of my being.

And there it is… peace.

Listen to this episode in the player above.

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Peace is a seven-week series. Peace can be defined as – freedom from disturbance, worry or annoyance; tranquility; calm. We all have seasons of life where achieving this feels impossible, but luckily for us we have Jesus the Prince of Peace walking with us! Read along with this series of devotionals on Peace and learn about how you too can gain a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Subscribe to the YouVersion plan or listen to Real Hope | The Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

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Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro

Episode supplied with thanks to Rebekah Robinson.

Originally published as ‘Peace I Can’t Understand’ in Real Hope, May-June 2024.