Finding the Peace of God, in a Troubled World – September 21, 2025
Isaiah 26:1-9, Philippians 4:1-13
September 21, 2025
Last week, I offered you a contrast. My sermon was “God’s plan for leadership.” But I was really talking about the contrast in a longer title, “God’s plan for leadership in a world consumed with power.” But that was too long to put on the sign.
Well, today I have a similar kind of a contrast for you. Today, I did it differently. The title on the sign is, “Finding the Peace of God.” But I’m offering you the contrast of the longer title you see in your bulletins, “Finding the Peace of God in a troubled world.” That’s what we’re talking about today. We live in a troubled world!
I was talking with a friend earlier this week, and we were lamenting together about the state of the news today. He said, “It’s always one bad story after the next!” Then he said he had been talking with another friend, and telling him that he almost didn’t want to watch the news, because it’s so troubling. And that friend said, “Well, then you might as well just stick your head in the sand!”
Don’t we feel that way sometime? Isn’t the news so troubling that we want to hide our heads, and plug our ears, and block it all out? And I have to wonder, was it always this way? I didn’t live during World War II, but that certainly had to have been a troubling and uncertain time. I do remember the ‘60’s. That was a troubling time, too. We had Viet Nam, social unrest, and assassinations. And I can’t even begin to imagine what this country was like at the time of the Civil War!
So, I was thinking, our time may not be as troubling as other times in the past, but it has one thing those times didn’t have. Everything now is instantaneous! We hear the news as it happens. And then we’re inundated by everybody trying to tell the story from a different angle. After that, we’re inundated by everybody’s commentary on it! And then – because of social media – we’ve become deeply polarized about nearly everything.
As I was thinking about all that this week. And the one think I kept coming back to is how much of the trouble in our world comes from hate. That’s what I see and hear when I watch the news. And frankly, that’s the thing that troubles me the most. Does it seem as though there’s more hate in the world today than ever before? It does to me!
I guess the biggest story we’ve been inundated with lately is the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I am deeply saddened by that! To me it’s unfathomable that people’s hate can drive them to take someone’s life like that! and as I hear different commentaries about that event, it seems to me that there continues to be lot of hate surrounding that whole thing!
I felt compelled to mention that today! Because everyone’s talking about it. And the more I think about that, and all the other troubling things in our world, the more I’m convinced that hate is one of the devil’s most effective weapons. Hate consumes people. It drowns out any good thoughts people might have.
When couples come to me to be married, one of the things I always tell them, is to beware of negative emotions. Because negative emotions like anger, fear, and hatred are always much stronger than positive ones! Think about that. If you personified emotions, negative emotions would be Arnold Schwartsenegger, and positive emotions would be Woody Allen. Who’s gonna win that battle?
Well, of all the negative emotions, I think hate is the worst! I could have been more specific with my sermon title. I could have called it, “Finding the peace of God in a world filled with hate.” And make no mistake, finding the peace of God is what I want us to do! I want us to know God’s peace. I don’t want this sermon to be depressing. I want it to be uplifting!
Well, to start with, it is my belief – and see if you think this is true – it’s my belief that you’re not going to find the peace of God if your heart is filled with hate. That’s very simple. Again, negative emotions are always so much stronger than positive ones. And hate is the worst. It consumes people! It drives away all reason and responsibility from people’s thoughts.
To all of that, we have today these words of Paul to the Philippians. This is what I was drawn to this week as I thought about all this stuff! Paul wrote, “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
I don’t know about you, but those are some of the words that I remember the most from all of scripture. “The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
As I’ve said before, our world craves that kind of peace. Our world is desperate for it! Because our world is full of the anxiety that Paul tells us not to have. That’s how he starts this. “Have no anxiety about anything.” As you think about that statement, I would remind you of something I heard years ago. That is, that the three most used medications in this country are: anti-depressants, stomach acid medications, and sleep aids. What does that say about the state of anxiety in this country?
“Have no anxiety about anything.” Paul said. But how do we do that? What’s his advice – talk to God. Be in touch with God. Seek him out. And notice that to do so is a choice! (You know I was gonna use that word!) I would even say it’s a “discipline.” That means choosing to pray, and choosing to focus on God. That’s the beginning of the road to peace. And when we get to the end of that road, then his peace will keep our hearts and minds.
I hope you heard that verse that Kari read from Isaiah 26. “Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” (Isaiah 26:3) I love the Revised Standard Version of that verse! “Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” So, when you’re not finding that perfect peace, the first thing you need to ask yourself – the first thing you need to choose to ask yourself – is, “Is your mind stayed on God.” The closer we get to God, the more we’re connected to him, the closer we are to finding his peace. And the opposite of that is true, too. The further we drift from God, the further we are from his peace! (That’s just logical!)
And notice, this does not mean your life is filled with peaceful circumstances! This does not mean that you have no struggle! This isn’t like you see a person who has the peace of God and you say, “Sure he has peace! He’s not dealing with the difficult things I am!” That’s not it! This is more like what you’ve heard me say about “joy.” Having joy is a good thing. But it’s not about having everything in your life going right. The important thing is having joy no matter what the circumstances!
Well, this is about peace no matter what the circumstances! At the end of this chapter, Paul says, “I have learned, in whatever state I am in, to be content.” Did you hear that? “I have learned… to be content.” There’s a “learning” involved here. There’s a “choosing” involved here. It doesn’t just “happen.” At the end he says again, “I have learned the secret.” I have learned the secret of facing the world no matter what. And the secret is, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12-13)
Now, the last thing I want to say about all this is that it’s not always easy! Sometimes it’s difficult to find the peace of God in a troubled world – or in our troubled lives, for that matter. It’s not easy to “Have no anxiety about anything.” You know me, As I’ve told you before, I have a bone in my head that makes me worry about things. I got it from my mother! Sometimes I have to fight that worry – and sometimes it’s every day! But, when I take the time to do that, I do better at it when I share it with God.
So, my prayer for all of you today, is that you find the peace of God – “the peace that passes all understanding.” I pray that you will beware of hate – that is the devils most powerful weapon. I pray that you will make the choice to share things more with God, that “with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving you will let your requests be known” to him. And I pray that you may “learn the secret” of facing this troubling world – no matter what.
I pray that you will know for sure that “God dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on him.”
Prayer
Eternal God, it is hard sometimes to know your peace in a troubled world. And sometimes our lives are so troubled that it’s hard to find your peace! Help us to learn. Help us to grow closer to you, that we may find that peace. And help us to share that peace with others around us who crave it. All of this we pray in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus our Lord, Amen.