The Piece that Passes

When I was a little girl at the First Baptist Church in Batavia, IL, I heard about "the piece that passes understanding". I was a child just crazy obsessed with spelling, and I often spelled out things I heard inside my head. I knew that "piece" was a word that one had to be careful to spell correctly, so I locked in on that one when I heard it. Of course, I never had a clue what the phrase meant. 

I recently had the good fortune to call it up (the correct one this time) from my memory archives in the midst of a conversation.

A man told me, "I know I have to keep going and keep doing what I'm doing. I am changing. Before Jesus, I would have bad things happen, and I had no hope. There was one period a few years ago when I tried to commit suicide 5 times in a 2 week period. Now, I have bad days, but I know that it's not going to last. I know that things will get better. I don't know why I feel that way but it's good." 

"What you're describing is what the Bible talks about when it refers to the peace of God. It's the peace that goes beyond our understanding." 

Here's Philippians 4:7 from both the NIV and The Message: 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (MSG) 

  

Comments

[Mark Waltz]

How fun to give people handles to help them experience the wonder and mystery of God!