The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Monday, 28 August 2017 "A PRAYER FOR PEACE" - Read John 14:23-27-------
John 14:23 Yeshua answered him, “If someone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Someone who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words — and the word you are hearing is not my own but that of the Father who sent me.
25 “I have told you these things while I am still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Ruach HaKodesh, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything; that is, he will remind you of everything I have said to you.
27 “What I am leaving with you is shalom — I am giving you my shalom. I don’t give the way the world gives. Don’t let yourselves be upset or frightened.
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Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. [Psalm 34:14 (NIV)]
Frustrating days and sleepless nights prompted me to share my troubling situation with my friend Jerry when we met for our weekly prayer time. I asked Jerry for advice. He cautiously offered me some suggestions, but they brought no clear solution to my dilemma. Later, though, when Jerry prayed, “Lord, give Steve peace,” the answer surfaced. Jerry’s prayer melted the tension because peace was what I had been missing. God’s peace doesn’t come as a result of problems solved; it is present amidst the problems.
Later, Jerry’s prayer reminded me of an incident from my youth. One day during a fierce blizzard I walked into a small grove of trees. Because the trees diffused the fury of the storm, the wooded area was calm and peaceful; birds fluttered from branch to branch and wildlife scampered in the soft, powdery snow. The snowflakes dropped gently from the sky because there was no wind. Still, as I looked beyond the trees, the fierce storm raged.
Jerry’s prayer continues to bring me relief as I remember that God’s peace, like a grove of trees, can shelter me from the storms of life.
See photos of Steven and Jerry, here.
Steven (right) and his friend Jerry, whom he mentions in today’s meditation
Steven and Jerry
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Thought for the Day: How will I seek God’s peace today?
Prayer: Dear Father God, give us your peace which is beyond our understanding so that we can face today’s struggles with courage. Amen.
Prayer focus: FOR PEACE
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