Category: finding peace

See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
— Deuteronomy 1:21

A word of encouragement is indispensable at the start of any new journey, especially when the journey demands your leadership. Joshua is no longer second chair. He is no longer the backup guy and enforcer for the plan to make Israel a great nation . Now it is his turn to lead. The people he leads have only known the leadership of the incomparable Moses. How will he lead? He will lead trusting the promises of God and without fear or discouragement! How is this possible? The exhortation to “fear not” can be found in the old and new testaments of the Bible 365 times…. a reminder for every day of the year. God is still God. His word is still true. His promises are still trustworthy. His might is still all-powerful… this  hasn’t really changed. God is the real leader of all of his people. FEAR NOT!

Father God, as I face increasing responsibilities and greater challenges, remind me of your promises, allay my fears, strengthen my resolve, and lead me by your will. May the victories in which I participate always bring glory and honor to you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
— Romans 1:20

What an incredible world we live in! The expanse of space is humbling. The majesty of the mountain peaks takes away our breath. On and on we could go, describing all the beautiful, magnificent, and awe-inspiring wonders of the universe. The variety, the order, the symmetry, and the unexpected all testify to God, the Genius behind it all.

O LORD, Almighty God, your works of creation astound me with your incredible sense of majesty, grace, wonder, awe, and beauty. Thank you for making your fingerprints so clearly seen in our incredible world. In Jesus’ name I praise. Amen.

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
— Isaiah 1:17

“A man’s got to take care of himself!” Yeah, we do have to be responsible folks. But, part of being responsible, part of being blessed — at least as God sees it — is to care for others, to stick up for the disadvantaged, and to intervene when someone else is being exploited. After all, we are our “brother’s and sister’s keeper!”

Remove the heart of selfishness, O God, that keeps me from caring for the downtrodden, abused, forgotten, and broken. Give me your eyes of concern and Jesus’ heart of compassion to see them and minister to them. In his name, the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
— Titus 1:15

Rust stains, grass stains, blood stains, chocolate stains… stains that are real nightmares in the laundry room. They don’t just leave a stain on the surface of the fabric, but they also leave a residue that infiltrates the fibers of our clothes. Evil is that way. We must not kid ourselves. Evil corrupts and leaves a residue that corrupts everything it touches, including the hearts of otherwise decent people. That’s why we are urged to stay far away from evil and avoid its very appearance. That’s also why Jesus died: to not only overcome the Evil One, but to also clean away the stain and its residue.

Father, guard my path and give me good Christian friends who will help guard my life from evil. In addition, dear Father, please help me as I seek to share the cleansing and liberating power of Christ with those around me who are caught in evil’s destructive and deceptive grasp. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 NLT

Scripture calls us to two powerful principles through this passage. First, the message given to us by the apostles is not man’s opinion, but God’s truth — we must not ignore it! Second, God gives the Holy Spirit to Christians, not just a one-time or temporary gift of the Spirit but an ongoing and indwelling gift of the Spirit. Jesus promised something very similar during his ministry (John 7:37-39, as seen in tomorrow’s scripture). In other words, we cannot use up our supply of the Holy Spirit; the more we rely on and need the Holy Spirit, the more God gives us the Spirit. It’s impossible to do better than a never-ending supply of what we need to live for God!

O Father, Sovereign Lord, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who lives in me. Thank you even more for the continual outpouring of the Holy Spirit into my life as I need and rely on the Spirit to sustain, empower, and transform me to be more and more like Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
— 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

As Paul faced the challenges of imprisonment and impending death, he reminded Timothy in the next verse (2 Timothy 1:8) not to be ashamed of the message of Jesus or of him as Jesus’ messenger. This ability for Timothy (and for us) not to be ashamed comes from the Holy Spirit. The indwelling presence of the Spirit brings us power, love, and self-discipline. We shouldn’t be timid. The powerful presence of our almighty God lives within us!

Father, forgive me for the times I have been timid about my faith. I recognize that my timidity showed itself in those times when I didn’t depend on your Spirit to strengthen me and give me boldness to say the things I need to say in the ways I need to say them. Please fill me with your Spirit so that I can be a person of character and compassion, demonstrating power, love, and self-discipline in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
— Ephesians 3:14-19 NIV

One of the best gifts we can give those we love is to pray for them. One of the most important prayers we can pray for other believers is the one Paul prays here. We can pray for those we love to be strengthened by God’s Spirit! Not only can we pray this prayer for them, but we can also let them know that we are praying this prayer for them. Why not copy Paul’s prayer and send it to a believing friend or family member and let them know that you have prayed this prayer for them today?

Father in heaven, I believe you are all powerful and that I cannot begin to understand your glory and might. I am humbled that you make that power available to me, and within me, through the Holy Spirit. Dear Father, there are those I love that I pray you will bless with your power. Please strengthen them with your power in their inner being. Please help them be aware of your presence in their lives through the Holy Spirit. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
Philemon 1:7 (NIV)

Wouldn’t this description of Philemon be a great one to have said about you! To be loved, supported, and encouraged by an encourager is to have your heart refreshed and your attitude lifted. It is so easy to get caught up in negative thinking and speech. We are bombarded daily with bad news and hateful speech. Let’s make a commitment to be an “encourager” who refreshes the hearts of those around us this week.

Tender and loving God, thank you for leading the people into my life who have encouraged me when I most needed it. Please give me the eyes to see and the heart to serve those around me who desperately need my encouragement. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. – Romans 8:26 ESV

Nearly all of us have been at this desperate place. Our souls are brittle and dry. All our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. They fall lifelessly to the ground and come to rest at our feet as bitter reminders of our failure and spiritual impotence. Like every other great blessing from God, prayer has its origin and power in the Father’s grace. Thankfully, the power of our prayers is not dependent upon our feelings, our perceptions, or our choice of words. The power of our prayers rests in the hands of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit — as the Helper, Advocate, and Comforter — intercedes for us with our Father. Our Comforter articulates what we cannot say and captures the emotions we cannot verbalize. Our Advocate takes our prayers before the Father after his work of perfecting our words and emotions. He then intercedes for us according to the Father’s will. Prayer, then, is not just a spiritual discipline, but also an incredible gift of our Father’s grace. The Spirit assures us that we will always be heard and that our deepest longings will always be understood by the Father who loves us and always longs to hear the cry of our hearts.

Father, I praise you. Because of the intercession of the Holy Spirit in this very moment, I know that you hear more than what my words say. You know what’s on my heart. You know my doubts, my insecurities, my secret sins, and my frustrating struggles. And, dear Father, you know my deep desire to have these things redeemed and transformed by your grace so that I live for your glory. I thank you for your grace, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

And again, Isaiah says,
“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in him.”

When Jesus came, he did come to the nation of Israel, according to the promises made to God’s people. He was a proper descendant of King David, the son of Jesse. His birth was prophesied by Jewish prophets and recorded in the Bible of the Israelite people. But no matter how Jewish his origins, Jesus came for all people in fulfillment of Old Testament promises that God would save all nations through Israel and the Jewish Messiah. While David brought Israel great power and notoriety as an awesome warrior and King, Jesus brought the reign of grace to the hearts of millions of Jews and non-Jews by conquering death and bringing true life.

Father, as this year draws to a close and ethnic and religious emotions are stirred around the world, please bless us with peace. Give us a deep sense of your love and presence. Shepherd us in your grace. At the same time, rekindle in our hearts your desire to bring all people together in peace through salvation in Jesus. Please bless your children throughout the world who are lovingly sharing your gospel to a culture other than their own. Bless them as they are apart from their families. Most of all, bless them with the joy of their desire — using them to lead someone to salvation during this holiday season. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.