Glimpses of Reality

Philippians 4:6-7 NASB
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

I think, that the greatest gift that God can give us, is seeing the reality of, who Jesus is. And it goes beyond who He is, it is what He provides us with a picture of. And it’s not just an image, it goes way beyond that. 

When you stop to think of all the things that Jesus said, and then you tag on all of the things that Jesus did, culminating in His death and resurrection, and what happened thereafter, one just has to stop and wonder, who this man Jesus is.

Many men throughout history have spoken about their thoughts about acquiring understanding, but none have had their wisdom accompanied with the capabilities that Jesus possessed. And then there is, in addition to those capabilities He possessed, to heal, and command the elements, the witness of His supremacy over death, which has to be, the most crowning witness of all. And if you don’t think that what Jesus taught about understanding was different from the thoughts of all others, then you’ve never really taken the time to really listen to what He said. 

Jesus had the audacity to say that He was the way, the truth and the life. He didn’t say He had found the way, the truth or the life, He actually said He was the way, the truth and the life. That would be audacity as in “boldness”. Clearly above and beyond the norm.

And the reality of Jesus, is, that God our Father in heaven, sent Him to us, in the person of His Son, and that He walked among us, on this earth, as a man.  

I used the word “glimpses” of reality in the title of this post. I used that word for a reason, because in my experience, there are times when the reality of God is opened to us, in ways other than the norm of His written Word, which He has, in spite of all the criticism voiced throughout the ages, ensured that His Word remains with us, to this very day. But there is another witness.

Wanting to detract from the reality of God, humanity calls the world we live in, nature, inferring that it is natural, without cause or determination behind it. But the reality of nature tells us, in many wondrous ways, that it is not without case or determination at all. We know this, because we see it, if we take the time to really look. And the more that we look, the more that we see of this reality.

The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Philippians, talks about, in the passage of Scripture quoted above, “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension”. If I was to paraphrase that, it could read, “surpasses all that we can comprehend”. And there are times, when this is indeed true. Because in spite of what we see, in spite of what we feel, in spite of what we know, in spite of our own limitations, in spite of our circumstances, the reality of what God has accomplished in His Son Jesus, transcends it all.

Jesus told us that “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.” (John 4:34). And when He died on the cross for our sins, Jesus said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). The will of the Father and the work that the Father had given Jesus to do, had been accomplished. Jesus overcame all the evil and sin that we see in this world, if we but look to Him. Jesus told us that He had “overcome” the world. (John 16:33). Think “defeated”. That’s heavy.

This is no light thing that Jesus accomplished. It represents the love of God towards His creation. It is a witness to God’s love, both by sending us His Son, and what Jesus accomplished for us, that we in ourselves, could never do. And the acceptance of, or the rejection of, that witnessed to love is pivotal. And it has to be, if it has any worth in the eyes of our heavenly Father, which it obviously has.

Listen to the words that Jesus spoke about the work that He had been given by His Father. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” 

Life, the gift that we cannot replicate or explain, that we have all been given, is but a foretaste of what God says is available. That’s heavy. And yet there is more. Jesus said “because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19). Jesus is talking about His own resurrection. That’s heavy too, real heavy. That’s the witness like none other.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Can we comprehend this, really? No I don’t think we can, right now it is our hope, that which we look forward to. But according to Jesus and all of God’s Word, this is reality. And the amazing thing about trusting in what God has told us, demonstrated to us, proven to us, is that there is a peace, that comes from God, in spite of what we feel, in spite of what we know, in spite of our own limitations, in spite of our circumstances, and that peace is indeed found in our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

And I may in truth not thoroughly comprehend it all, but I can rest in it. And that is but a glimpse of reality, which is, and is to come.

Worthy is the Lamb! Blessings!