Paramount Peace

Peace is resting, secure in the in the knowledge that God is in control and that He has unfailing love for me. Peace isn’t about waiting out the storm, but learning to dance in the rain. Inner peace, a gift from growing in our knowledge of God.

Paul gives us a glimpse into the peace of God in Philippians 4:7. And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Rick Renner in his book Sparkling Gems From the Greek, emphasizes the word “passes” in his explanation of the word “peace.”

“Passes” in the Greek is huperecho, which is a compound of the words huper and echo. Huper means over, above, and beyond. It depicts something that is way beyond measure. It carries the idea of superiority; something that is utmost, paramount, foremost first-rate, first-class and top-notch; incomparable, unsurprassed. Echo means to have, as someone who holds something in his possession. It can be translated to keep, to hold, to acquire.

Combine the words into huperecho as in Phil. 4:7 and you have a peace so superior that it is held high above all other types of peace. There is a temporary peace in some drugs and alcohol. Sometimes relationships can bring a measure of peace. Eastern meditations like yoga produce a peace. But Paul is saying that the peace God gives, transcends, outdoes, surpasses, goes beyond and over the top of any other kind of peace. The peace of God completely outshines every other attempt to produce peace. Nothing in the world compares with the peace of God.

We’ll examine this more fully tomorrow.