Do You Need the Peace of God Today?

Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

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

Hanns Lilje was born in Hanover, Germany in 1899. After serving in the military in World War I, he studied theology and art history at Gottingen and Leipzig. He was ordained in 1924 as a minister in the Lutheran Church and became the student chaplain in Hanover. After Hitler came to power, Lilje worked in cooperation with others within the Protestant Church of Germany to oppose National Socialism. On August 19, 1944, Lilje was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned. At first he was upbeat. But in his autobiography "The Valley of the Shadow", Lilje writes about that first night in prison: "Then fear and panic began to creep over me, like an evil beast creeping out of its den. I began to see myself and my position very clearly." The next morning was Sunday and it also his forty-fifth birthday. Lilje wrote: "Suddenly, from a window in another wing, I heard someone whistling the first line of a familiar hymn. I was electrified, sprang to the window, and as soon as my unknown companion ceased whistling I answered with the chorale: 'Oh for a thousand tongues to sing. . . .' Hanns Lilje was able to enjoy the peace of God in the darkest of situations.

The peace of God does not depend on external circumstances. It comes directly from the Lord and it is placed in our hearts.

Do you need the peace of God today?

Dear Lord, help us sing a song of praise from our heart.  We ask today that You will guard our heart and our mind that we may be positive in what comes our way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.