Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Week 4: Prayers of Peace

Its one of the most precious things you can pray for a friend ..this peace that passes all understanding.

To be able to pray that a person feels a sense of godly calm in the face of their struggles, anxiety, fretting, feelings of abandonment or being overwhelmed...what a gift.

I love how frequently Paul mentions peace when he is closing out his letters to the churches and people he loved writing ...

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." I Thessalonians 5:23-24

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

These are precious prayers for the people precious to the heart of a man of God. Are they not still precious when prayed for a fellow mom, sister or friend?

God called the Israelites through the prophet Jeremiah, to pray for their country "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah 29:7

Praying for peace for a fellow sister or brother in Christ is a blessing indeed. Paul prayed at least one blessing of peace in every one of his letters in the New Testament.

In class last week, we assigned what we called "Peace Partners". These were our fellow sisters, some we may know and some way may not ..but all with whom we share the Spirit. We took one name, and committed to praying for peace for her for the next couple of weeks. I hope that you have been faithful to that promise, because those prayers will reap righteous rewards in their lives. If you werent assigned one, then be assured that anyone you pray for will benefit from your blessings of peace trough Christ.

To borrow from Paul..."Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you" 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Pondering Point: In what areas do you feel like you need a prayer of peace in regarding your life?

Verse of the Week: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 5:1

Discussion Thoughts: Have you experienced a sense of peace in your own life, when you know that its being prayed for either by you or someone else? How do you feel that your peace changed the situation?

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