Praying for Peace
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
When you are in the midst of a trial, do you ever purposely fall on your face and pray for peace?
Although it may sound crazy, I recommend it. Allow me to explain.
Sometimes breathing a short, to-the-point prayer of, “Lord, please help,” is all we seemingly have time for. He certainly hears those kinds of prayers.
But how about making time for frequent fall-on-our-face type of prayers?
Being Enfolded in His Perfect Peace
Would you agree that we are living in a world that has forgotten the awe with which God deserves to be revered? Making time to come into God’s presence in a literal or figurative flat-on-our-face posture reminds us how amazing He is. It reminds us our prayer is being heard by the One who is not only in control of the situation, but also cares about the situation and the people involved to a degree that nobody else is capable of.
When we pour out our heart’s cry and take the time to listen to what God is telling us, it is an exquisite exchange. Eventually we will come to the point of being enfolded in His perfect peace; an overwhelming blessing that assures us that God is in complete control of the very situation that is causing us to feel powerless.
That peace does not necessarily mean He is going to answer our prayer exactly as we hope. It can sometimes be a peace that prepares us for the possibility of Him answering in a different manner than we prayed for. A peace that says, “I’ve got this, Child. I’ve got you, Child.”
His Answer Not Ours
I will not forget the times God has granted me that gift of peace. Two times stick out above numerous others.
Once, before the answer to my prayer came, I had seemingly cried every tear I was capable of crying as I prayed in desperation. Then suddenly in a moment which can only be explained by the Holy Spirit completely doing an overhaul of my emotional and mental state, I came to a point of knowing that even if the worst possible outcome occurred, He was going to keep His promise to never forsake me. When all was said and done, He answered my prayer in the way I hoped, but He also taught me that there is no circumstance that I will ever have to face without His loving arms embracing me.
Regarding the other situation…you guessed it, the worst-case scenario did happen. What I was praying against, because I did not know how I would ever, ever handle it or ever, ever get through it – it happened. Here I am on the other side of it, stronger in faith and character as well. God helped me, just like He said He would. Were there moments of pain and sadness? Definitely. Was God carrying me through it with His tremendous peace? Definitely.
My hope is that when you face your next trial, you will fall down on your face, praying for peace, and rise up prepared and primed for any possibility, knowing you will withstand it, because God will stand with you.
