The Peace of Christ

Philippians 4:5-8:

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, think about such things.

I can’t claim to have had many “religious experiences” in my life. I love to hear stories from people who were on the brink of death, and describe the tunnel with light at the end, and the feeling of peace.  I can’t imagine what Peter, James and John felt when they accompanied Jesus to the mountain top for the transfiguration.

My most vivid personal feeling of God’s peace happened at ~6am in the Thornley Chapel in Ocean Grove on a hot August morning in 2002. During the first week of August in Ocean Grove, the Methodists celebrate “camp meeting” with a week-long program of Bible study, programs for kids of all ages, special music, and guest preachers in the evenings. While running on the boardwalk one day, I saw a sign inviting all to a sunrise prayer gathering weekdays at 6am. I thought it would be a nice start to a summer day, so I decided to go the next morning.

When I entered the chapel, there were only 8-9 people there, and they all sat in the dim light in silence. I waited for somebody to kick things off. Music ? An opening prayer? Nothing. Silence. After 5-10 minutes, I heard a voice begin to pray aloud. The words seemed to flow so beautifully, as if she had rehearsed it all night. Then another pray-er chimed in. [They were almost as good at spontaneous prayer as some of Holy Trinity’s finest at Intercessory Prayer!]  After a few minutes of silence, I heard a voice from behind me begin to sing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” first quietly, then louder and more boldly. It was a petite old lady who came in a bit late and sat in the back. You would never have paired that strong and beautiful voice with her frame.  She sang every word from memory, and with such feeling, it reduced me to tears. To this day, her singing “all that I needed thy hand hath provided” stays sharp in my memory. When she finished singing, there was silence again, and a light ocean breeze through the open doors of the chapel.  I remember feeling a bond with these strangers, and such an overwhelming feeling of peace that could only come from God. I wish I could bottle that feeling and pass it out to all of you!

Sadly, those blissful feelings gradually faded as I left the chapel, and headed into the traffic to go to work.  I’m so happy that God lead me to that prayer group that morning. Whenever I want to think about something noble, right, pure and lovely, I remember that voice.

Dear Lord, we should not worry, but put our trust in you. You hear and answer our prayers. Set our minds on noble and righteous things. Amen

Susan