Now & Then Peace
Have you ever had seasons in your life that were particularly challenging or stressful? Have there been times where you wanted something to end, or maybe something to begin? Have you ever wanted to change your now to then?
Maybe your “then” is way back when… Back when you had it all together. Back when life made more sense. The good old days. Perhaps for you, “then” means some time in the future. A future when you’re more prepared or better equipped to handle life. Or a future when all of the challenges are over, and you’re living easy. But in reality, now is always now, and then will always be then, whether you see that as past or future.
You can’t do anything to change your past, but there is a way to prepare for the “then” ahead of you.
Sometimes it’s hard to imagine a better future when your current now is so difficult. But what if you could transport your now chaos to a place of peace instead? You can! The secret to this is not to think of it so much as a place of peace but instead as a practice of peace.
We often pray for peace when in reality, we should be practicing for peace. Paul, a man who often spoke from his own experience, tells us exactly how to do that.
Philippians 4:6-7 TPT
Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.”
Paul shares four essential habits to do now that will set us up for the “then” in verse 7:
Don’t worry about a thing.
Be saturated in prayer each day.
Offer faith-filled requests to God with overflowing gratitude.
Be totally honest with God about how you feel. (Hint: He knows already.)
We can practice these four things, and THEN … THEN the peace of God will guard your heart and mind.
As I consider these four habits that create a culture of peace, I realize that I have the most difficulty with number one: “don’t worry about a thing.” It’s challenging to “not worry about a thing”! I’m pretty sure that most people share this same struggle, even though we know that worry and peace cannot coexist. However, when I look at it presented with the other three practices on the list, I begin to see that it’s not as much of a problem. I find that when I practice the other habits, when I saturate the day in prayer, when I pray with gratitude, and when I’m totally honest before God, there is no room for worry. When we practice the last three habits on the list, we will see our worry begin to dissolve as a result.
“Now and then,” that’s how it works! The things we do now change our future then. We can begin to see a future of joy, hope, and peace. Practice makes perfect peace.