So What Is Peace That Passes All Understanding? Stephen Altrogge.
So now we come to the heart of the matter. If peace that passes understanding is NOT a feeling, then what is it?
It’s something much more profound than a simple feeling.
The peace that passes understanding is a strong, resolute faith and confidence, that no matter what circumstances you encounter, God is faithful, God is good, God will keep you, God will provide for you, and God will bless you. It’s a faith that looks past circumstances to the God who works all things for your good and his glory.
This is a faith and confidence that can survive in the cancer ward and the bankruptcy court and the cemetery.
This is a faith that doesn’t rely on feelings but relies upon God’s unbreakable promises.
As Jesus stumbled, bloody and broken, toward Golgatha, he was most certainly in deep distress in every sense of the word. But he was also confident in the supreme sovereignty of his Father. He knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God had good, glorious things in store for him.
This confidence went well beyond his human (not divine) understanding. Normal, human understanding interpreted Jesus’ death as a colossal tragedy (the perspective of the disciples).
As Paul lay in the dirt, profusely bleeding and concussed from being stoned by his enemies, he remained confident that God was for him. This was a confidence that superseded any human understanding of his life and circumstances.
Even in the midst of being afflicted in every way, perplexed, crushed, persecuted, struck down, and always carrying the death of Christ in his body, he also remained confident that God’s grace was sufficient for him.
In the midst of the hurricane of suffering, there will be many times when you feel overwhelmed, broken down, and swallowed by grief. We live in a sin-torn, broken world in which trouble is the norm.
But just as grieving and hope can exist side-by-side, so can feelings of distress and the peace that passes understanding.
So when you’re walking through the Valley of Death, don’t try to work yourself into a state of feeling peaceful. Your feelings will go up and down depending on 10,000 different variables.
Peace that passes understanding goes beyond mere feeling. Rather, it’s a solid confidence and faith in God that allows you say:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul
