Blessed Assurance

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

In past blogs I've discussed the varying degrees of either angst or peace which we bring to our faith. That's an important distinction, by the way. Far too often we don't think of faith as something we bring, it's more like something we either have or don't have. But it's not enough, in any context, to just have faith. We must bring it: to our daily lives, to those around us and in the midst of all our circumstances.

To do so it helps to have the blessed assurance that the old hymn speaks about, which is a simple kind of knowing. I wouldn't even call it a confidence of any kind, for such an assertion might lead one to believe the assurance begins in oneself. It doesn't. It is an assurance that ebbs into us, from beyond us. The knowing is less rooted in a believing as it is in a being. This is not in any way to discount the believing, which is core to our faith and essential to the entire process. But every now and then in life we get to experience small moments of transcendence. In this form, our beliefs are no longer narrated, but elevated. The mind aligns with the soul and the heart beats to a universal rhythm. The adrenaline to this entire process, I believe, is God alone.

This past week I have felt the presence of God in such a simply peaceful way. I've had this feeling before, here and there, once for weeks on end. Words can barely describe it. Feelings conveyed in the midst of letters and sentences fall victim to a structure of thought that the Holy Spirit simply cannot be constrained by nor conveyed by. The best I can do is pray that you know what I'm talking about because you've had moments like this as well and, if you haven't, that you will someday soon. The best I can do is bring these thoughts to you to maybe help you find your own sense of peace or, at the very least, if you are in the midst of hard times right now, hope that such a peace does indeed exist.

For any assurance that is blessed must have hope.