Pray Network Forum

"It is by making myself Catholic that I brought peace to Brittany and Vendée.

It is by making myself Italian that I won minds in Italy.

It is by making myself a Moslem that I established myself in Egypt.

If I governed a nation of Jews, I should reestablish the Temple of Solomon."  (Napoleon)

The Arc of Triomphe in Paris, the most monumental of all triumphal arches, was built between 1806 and 1836 to commemorate the victories of Napoleon. Last week it witnessed bloody days that left 17 people dead, including three French terrorists. Security forces are searching for alleged accomplices who may have helped the gunmen stage their acts of terrorism.

France has mobilized 10,000 security forces to protect its population from further attacks. The forces are deployed at Jewish schools, places of worship, and other vulnerable locations. The nation has effectively declared war on jihadism and radical Islam.

Yesterday, in a demonstration of solidarity, an estimated 1.5 million people gathered in central Paris. French President Francois Hollande was joined by 40 world leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Today, in Berlin, an anti-Islam rally threatens to increase religious tension. Secretary of State John Kerry has stated he plans to travel to Paris Thursday for talks on countering extremist violence. Next month, President Obama will host a summit to highlight domestic and international efforts to prevent violent extremism.

Sadly, despite the best efforts of world leaders, extremists continue to recruit, radicalize, and inspire others to commit terrorist acts. The nightmare of violence continues around the world.

"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"--the national motto of France--hints at the spiritual solution to violence. 

True liberty is found only in Jesus Christ (Galatians 5:1). "Peace is liberty in tranquility" (Cicero, 43 B.C.), but authentic tranquility only comes when the heart is at rest, and that happens only when the heart is surrendered to the Emperor of the Soul. 

True equality is experienced only through the unity of common allegiance to Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26). "Only a peace between equals can last" (Woodrow Wilson, 1916). The ground at the foot of the cross is level.

True fraternity is known only through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:28). "You may call for peace as loudly as you wish, but where there is no brotherhood there can in the end be no peace" (Max Lerner, "The Gifts of the Magi", 1949).

Napoleon changed the face of the world by war. The King of kings changes lives in time and eternity by His grace. 

Earth's nightmare of war will only be over when heaven's dream of peace comes true.

"In the last days, the mountain of the Lord's house will be the highest of all--the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob's God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.' For the Lord's teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore." (Isaiah 2:2-4 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Interim Pastor, Nomini Baptist Church; Montross, Virginia

Blog http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

“If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living.” (Seneca, Roman statesman; 4 B.C. – A.D. 65)

A review of current events does little to increase our optimism about the chances of world peace. It feels like “everything nailed down is coming loose” (the angel Gabriel in the musical Green Pastures).

Over the last year, fighting associated with Boko Haram in Nigeria has led to the deaths of over 6,000 civilians.

A week ago, suicide bombers linked to the Taliban attacked two churches in Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital, leaving 14 worshipers dead and at least 70 injured. Four thousand angry Christians gathered in protest, chased suspects and lynched two of them. Pakistan is embroiled in a conflict between majority Sunni and minority Shiite Muslims, both groups having violent militant wings. Now with some Christians joining this volatile mix, Pakistan could be headed for an all-out religious war.

Last week gunmen stormed a Tunisian museum, taking hostages and killing at least 21 people.

Friday, a terrorist bombing of two mosques in the capital of Yemen killed 137 and wounded 357 others. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Over the weekend, American and British forces left strife-torn Yemen, intensifying fears that the failed state will be a breeding ground for terror groups plaguing the Middle East and the West.

This week, Afghanistan President Ghani will meet with President Obama to discuss the pace of withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He is expected to state that without the continuing substantial presence of American troops on the ground, security will at best be precarious. 

An offensive is underway to drive the Islamic State out of the Iraqi city of Tikrit, spearheaded by Iranian-backed Shiite militias. Ironically, some think this force that is on the State Department’s global terrorism list and led by an Iranian general who has directed attacks on U.S. troops will in some way advance the goal of reconstructing a multiethnic Iraq. Could this be another case of misplaced confidence and false hope?

ISIS controls one-third of Syria. More than 20,000 foreign nationals from 90 countries have joined ISIS over the past three years. Holding oil fields, taxing businesses, and claiming cash in banks within captured territory, ISIS is the wealthiest terrorist organization in history. No one knows, of course, where the next extremist attack on a Western target may happen. Foreign-affairs columnist Ian Bremmer (Time, March 30, 2015) theorizes it would take a mass-casualty terrorist strike to build the public support required for a military effort that would destroy these threats.

The Pentagon has announced that sympathizers of the Islamic State group have posted online a “kill list” of 100 pilots, airmen, sailors and commanders involved in the U.S.-led airstrikes against the group in Iraq and Syria. Photographs of service members are included, and also their rank and home addresses. The shock of 9-11 has begun to fade; but if we are starting to think living in the continental U.S. makes us invulnerable, we need to think again.

Believers need to do more—we need to revisit our creed, calm our souls with Christ’s promises, and pray for courage to stay committed to His great cause until He returns and settles international disputes. The world has many swords that need hammering into plowshares, many spears that would make good pruning hooks. Nations are still fighting nations, with many still training for war. There’s got to be a better way—there surely will come a brighter day.

“Here on earth the nations will be in turmoil. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth. When all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” - Jesus (Luke 21:25, 26, 28 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Interim Pastor, Nomini Baptist Church; Montross, Virginia

Blog & book info http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

One hundred years ago today, on Christmas Eve, the World War I Christmas truce occurred. The respite in fighting happened in the unlikely setting of mud, cold rain, and senseless killing. It took place despite orders by superiors. It took place despite language barriers. If only for a few hours, sworn enemies became temporary friends.

World War I had been raging for only four months, but it was turning out to be one of the bloodiest wars in history. Soldiers on both sides were trapped in trenches, exposed to the cold and wet winter weather, covered in mud, and extremely anxious because of snipers. Machine guns had demonstrated their worth in war, bringing new meaning to the word "slaughter."

In a place where bloodshed had become commonplace, something surprising happened on the front for Christmas in 1914. The men shivering in the trenches embraced the Christmas spirit. In one of the most authentic acts of goodwill toward men, soldiers from both sides in the southern portion of the Ypres Salient temporarily put down their weapons and hatred, and met in No Man's Land.

It started when German soldiers lit candles on small Christmas trees and sang “Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht”, and British, French, Belgian and German troops serenaded each other. Soon they gathered and buried the dead, in an age-old custom. But as the power of Christmas intensified, they exchanged addresses and letters and expressed admiration for one another. Uniting across the front line—they sang carols, exchanged gifts, ate and drank, and even played games of soccer. When angry superiors ordered them to recommence shooting, many soldiers aimed harmlessly high overhead.

And so great beauty was observed in the midst of deep tragedy. Unspeakable carnage followed, making the Christmas truce stand out as one of history’s most poignant moments. In the terrible darkness of war, if only temporarily, there shone a little bit of light.

At another No Man’s Land—a bloody place of slaughter called Skull Hill, on the front line of good and evil—God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. (2 Corinthians 5:19 NLT). This was not just a truce between God and sinners; it was a divine act of love offering eternal forgiveness and peace.

Jesus was “born that man no more may die”; and He died in our place so we may be born from above. Anticipating heaven, enjoying the pleasure of His company day by day, we enjoy more than a temporary halt in hostilities—we celebrate a relationship that will never end, a relationship that changes us from the inside out, a friendship that inspires us to sing of heaven’s peace even in the midst of earth’s pandemonium.  

Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased. (Luke 2:14 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Read blog at http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

“When we lived under the U.S.S.R. we felt we were being controlled. We were told what to say. We were told what to wear. Independence was like a second life, the birth of something new. My wings spread and I started to remember poems I recited to my mother as a child.Now, I have poems of terror.” 

(Ludmila Elagina; Mariupol, Ukraine; quoted in The Washington Post, August 31, 2014)

Remembering what life was like before Ukraine received its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union, Ludmila has volunteered to help dig trenches in her hometown because she is afraid of the return of a repressive regime.

She says people are panicking because they don’t know who to trust. If they hear an explosion, they don’t know if it is coming from the Ukrainians or the rebels.

Ukrainian military officials report that rebels who want to reunite with Russia are being supported by Russian soldiers, tanks and armored personnel carriers.

The Russian incursion has deepened anxieties about the future. The West is alarmed. The European Commission president said the crisis would soon “reach the point of no return.” Ukraine’s president Poroshenko warned the conflict could spread further into Europe. Some historians foresee a possible 21st century repetition of the warring 20^th century world.

In these troublesome times, believers in Christ proclaim our creed to the world—

we believe the Prince of Peace will accomplish what warriors could not;

we believe international chaos will be replaced by heavenly calm; 

we believe the future is as bright as the promises of God; 

we believe the Messiah will return to restore paradise; 

we believe terror will be conquered by Truth;

we believe heaven on earth will materialize;

we believe there will be peace at last.

We who live in a country rich in freedom should pray that Ludmila will again be able to remember peaceful poems.

“The boots of the warrior and uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (Isaiah 9:5, 7 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

              “You may call for peace as loudly as you wish, but where there is no brotherhood there can be in the end no peace.” (Max Lerner, “The Gifts of the Magi,” 1949)

                Images from the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict are disconcerting—Palestinians searching through debris for survivors; corpses amid the rubble of more than 10,000 destroyed houses; boys carrying pages of copies of the Quran from a mosque hit in an airstrike; distraught mourners at funerals of Israeli soldiers.

                Since the conflict started July 8, more than 1900 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians. More than 60 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the fighting.

                This morning, another ray of hope is on the horizon. After several short-lived humanitarian truces, Israel and Hamas have accepted a three-day cease-fire proposal from Egypt beginning at 8 a.m.

                The Israeli military reports that its ground troops are in the process of pulling out of the Gaza Strip, following its destruction of 32 cross-border tunnels designed to permit Islamic militants to attack Israel. If the cease-fire works, Egypt will host talks to work out a long-term agreement. Israel insists that Gaza be demilitarized. Hamas continues to protest its economic isolation. Hope for lasting peace is precarious.

                National leaders seek to protect their citizens, and diplomats attempt to broker compromise between warring peoples. But centuries-old disputes die hard. Lasting peace continues to be illusive in the maelstrom of the Middle East. The best minds and noblest efforts have never been able to resolve the issues of warring sides. Cordiality seems a fanciful dream, conflict inevitable.

                Ultimately, Christians believe, the answer to the world’s perennial problem of war is the return and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. We live in hope that the Son of God will bring enduring tranquility to the human situation. Despite all temptations to give in to despair, we look forward to the time of peace negotiated by the Prince of Peace.

                “Out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”  (Isaiah 2:3-4 ESV)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—Scripture Personalized

GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized (copy, paste to browser for blog & bio)

“Cannons and fire-arms are cruel and damnable machines;

I believe them to have been the direct suggestion of the Devil.

If Adam had seen in a vision the horrible instruments his children were to invent,

he would have died of grief.”

- Martin Luther

At times it feels there are hawks everywhere—but a Dove is on the believer’s shoulder.

Benjamin Franklin was certainly right—“there never was a good war or a bad peace.”

Incredibly, this world seems to thrive on war—over 100,000 killed in Syria so far!

Afghanistan and Iraq have been battlegrounds for years, and are not yet quiet.

Millions have died in combat, with “the war to end all wars” not yet fought.

Ukraine trembles in the shadow of her giant threatening neighbor Russia.

Will America’s paratroopers in Poland keep the menacing bear at bay?

“Wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) pervade the daily news.  

Peace at last is the promise of Scripture—God speed the day!

“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. ”

Isaiah 2:4 ESV

Johnny R. Almond

                Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—Scripture Personalized

www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

Each of us has a gap between our Rhetoric and our Reality. In some cases, the distance between the two is enormous. Remember the Jerusalem crowds shouting “Hosanna” one moment and “Crucify Him” just a few days later? There was quite a gap between their enthusiastic Rhetoric on Palm Sunday and the Reality of their hearts when Jesus was on trial.

How can we explain such big gaps between Rhetoric and Reality? Sometimes this is simple hypocrisy, reminiscent of politicians who persuade voters with lofty promises they have no intention of keeping.

At other times, there’s a major problem with self-awareness. We’ve all met people who sincerely believe their glowing press clippings—the Rhetoric—but are oblivious to the Reality of their situation. That’s why we all need a few honest friends in our life, those who will lovingly reveal our blind spots (Ephesians 4:15).

This is not a minor issue. When there’s a large gap between a believer’s profession and their possession, the stinging words of Romans 2:24 come into play: “God’s name is blasphemed among [unbelievers] because of you.” Ouch.

But sometimes the gap is completely well-intentioned, a matter of “confessing the Word” when we aren’t yet walking in what it promises. We tell people we’re healed and then sneeze all over them. Or we proclaim that God has touched our aching back, but we’re still bent over like a Neanderthal. Whatever maladies we still face are just “lying symptoms,” we like to tell people.

In the case of Mephibosheth, there was a wide chasm between his calling as a prince and his deplorable experience living in the squalor of Lo Debar (2 Samuel 9). But this huge gap between the Rhetoric of his calling and the Reality of his experience was suddenly and dramatically bridged by three of the most beautiful words in the Bible: “I WILL RESTORE” (v. 7). This is God’s powerful message to us as well, no matter how wide the gap may be right now.

Often the gaps we face are not the result of any misdeeds or lack of effort on our part. Abram (“exalted father”) was renamed Abraham (“father of a multitude”). All the while, he and Sarah had no children, though they had tried for many years.

What a lesson! Often it is humanly impossible to bridge the gap between our calling and our experience. We need a miracle from God in order to finally get our “Isaac.”

And be clear on this: The first step in transformation is being honest with yourself and recognizing your need.

What gaps are you facing? What Realities in your life are falling short of your Rhetoric? Once you’ve truly faced the gaps, you can believe God for healing and restoration. But transformation will remain elusive if you insist on putting your head in the sand and pretending there aren’t any gaps to bridge.

Your turnaround can start today. Leaving behind any frustrations or failures in your past, you can press on toward God’s best for your life (Philippians 3:12-14). No, this doesn’t mean you will suddenly be perfect. But it does mean your new Reality will become much more in line with your Rhetoric. And that will bring peace, wonderful peace.

Friends, we are living in an hour when the very existence of Israel is literally threatened on all sides, both politically and physically. We are living in an hour when Israel's very right to exist is being questioned on university campuses, in the media, and within international governments. We are living in an hour when - according to a 2010 poll by the European Commission - Israel is believed by Europeans in 15 countries to be the greatest threat to world peace... greater than North Korea, Iran or Afghanistan. If ever people in God's Holy Land needed to know that there are people standing with them, people praying for them, and people looking to bless them and not destroy them...NOW is that time.

As we lead up to the worldwide Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem (DPPJ) on October 7 (www.daytopray.com ), our friends at KeepTree.com have made it possible for believers from all over the world to send a personal prayer (via video) to the people of Israel.  The goal is to send 800,000 video prayers for the 800,000 residents of Jerusalem... and we need  YOUR participation to make it happen!

We are believing that this effort will become the largest video exchange of thoughts and prayers between people in history.  Join us now and help us spread the word.

 Go now to www.keeptree.com/dppj  to learn more and to record your prayer of peace, blessing, or encouragement for one of the 800,000 people in Jerusalem!

Three Strategic Prayers for Our Spiritual Leaders (Part Two)

Daniel Henderson

From  Fueled by Faith by Jennifer Kennedy Dean

Listen to an interview on Fueled by Faith here.

The Finishing Touch
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith”  (Heb. 12:2, KJV).

Faith in its finished form results in the power and provision of God manifested in the circumstances of earth. The perfecting and finishing of our faith is accomplished through difficulties and challenges of life. As we face challenges, it trains us in the ways of faith, it trains us to keep our focus on the reality instead of the shadow, and it circumcises all the flesh out of the vision God has given us. Like muscles in the physical body, faith grows by resistance training—by being forced to do heavy lifting.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Difficulty becomes blessing. Trials become joy. 

Circumcising the Vision
When God impregnates you with promise and causes vision to grow in you, that vision is designed and tailored to fit you and only you. It fits you exactly. When God describes His will, He uses three words: good, pleasing, and perfect (Rom. 12:2). The word “perfect” means  “a perfect fit.” His will for you is beneficial to you (good); it will bring you pleasure and will please you (pleasing); and it will fit you to down to the last detail (perfect). You love the vision. You’re supposed to.

As the vision develops, the time comes when you are forced to recognize that although the vision is God’s, it has some of your flesh wrapped around it. When I say “flesh,” I am talking about those parts of your life that are still fueled by your human nature. Your flesh wants to own and control and possess and manage and manipulate. God is always working in you to free you of your flesh and move you more and more into the power of the Spirit. To that end, He arranges crisis moments at which you are brought face-to-face with your flesh and the claim it is trying to have on God’s vision. Those times are painful, but they are the most productive times of all. When your flesh is brought to its crucifixion, it is bloody and messy and our tendency is to resist. But crucifixion has but one end: resurrection. This has always been God’s pattern and continues to be so today. Crucifixion. Resurrection.

In Hebrews 11, God spotlights  and highlights lives that have put faith on display. In each, the crucifixion-resurrection principle is evident. Look with me at an example.

Moses’ Parents
The writer of Hebrews spotlighted Moses’ parents as prime examples of how faith works. The vision that God put into Moses began as a vision in the minds of his parents, who saw that he was no ordinary child.  God caused them to see His promise and it jumped up and took such possession of them that a bold and reckless faith was born, freeing them from fear of the pharaoh. They didn’t know all its ramifications, but their vision was that he would live and not die at the pharaoh’s hands. That may be as far as they could see, but it was far enough.

God had to have provided supernatural protection for the baby Moses. He gave wisdom and ideas to Moses’ parents. Why did they even think that a little ark of bulrushes might protect Moses’ life? How did the idea even occur to them?

Three months they loved him and nurtured him and memorized his darling face and recorded in their hearts his dear sighs and gurgles and cries. With each passing day, love grew.

When the day came to let him go, imagine his mother’s walk from her home to the Nile's edge. Three-month-old son entombed in a basket. 
 
Surely only her selfless love for her son could induce her to walk her Via De La Rosa. Had she given one thought to her own desires, she would have turned back. She was going to place him into the Nile in the days when the Nile ran red with the blood of Hebrew sons. She was letting him go into the river that his enemy had declared to be his burial place. Imagine as she stood in the Nile's waters and came to that moment when she had to do the hardest thing she would ever be called upon to do. She had to let him go. She had to die to her mother's instincts to guard and protect. To save his life, she had to let him go.
 
When she did, her son was put upon the course he had been ordained to travel. The very river that might have been his end was instead his beginning. Jochabed received him back again, but everything had changed. When she put him into the Nile he was a slave. When she received him back from the Nile, he was a prince.
 
The secret was in the letting go.


(Learn more about the Crucifixion-Resurrection principle in  Fueled by Faith by Jennifer Kennedy Dean.

Hear Jennifer share this live.

From Pursuing the Christ by Jennifer Kennedy Dean

“I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will establish and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people.”
—Ezekiel 37:26–27

The Word became flesh and took up residence among us.
—John 1:14


God with us, Immanuel, Your stated purpose for Your Incarnation and all that it entailed—Your birth, Your crucifixion, Your resurrection, Your ascension, the sending of Your Spirit—was to establish peace.

You are the  peace. The peace You offer is not something separate fromYourself. The peace You offer is entirely based on who You are. Who You are is all that matters.

When Your messenger came to Mary, as recorded in Luke 1, Your message was a bit unsettling: “Do not fear. I am about to upend your life and make you centerstage for My divine drama, but do not fear.” Mary had one question: “How can this be?” (v. 34). You had one answer: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (v. 35). Mary wanted to know how, but You only told her who.

“Our faith does not provide us with an answer, but with a Person. When Mary sought an explanation, what she got was a revelation,”  Brantley reminds me Dean.according to my son Brantley.

I imagine how Mary  might have reacted   had You explained to her Mary  the how of Your plan. How would  I respond to the most complex explanation of the most intricate matter regarding a subject of which I am wholly ignorant?   That would sound like baby talk compared to an explanation about how You would come as a little baby fashioned in the womb of a virgin. The how would not have brought peace to Mary’s heart, but the who caused a peace that surpassed understanding to stand guard over her heart (Philippians 4:7).

When anxiety tries to lay claim to my thoughts, when fear seeks a foothold in my mind, when confusion threatens to make a stand in my heart, I look to You, I seek Your face. You are all the antidote I need to anything that might steal my peace.

You will keep in perfect peace
the mind that is dependent on You,
for it is trusting in You.
Trust in the Lord forever,
because in Yah, the Lord, is an everlasting rock!
—Isaiah 26:3–4

You came to me. You, the Unknowable made Yourself known.The Invisible made Yourself visible. The Invulnerable made Yourself vulnerable. The Unapproachable approached.

No frantic seeking was required. No ceremonies and rituals were necessary. You, for whom our souls long, have eternally been longing for us. With all our anxious looking about, You were always there. Your presence is peace.


I found You in the spaces in between
I found You in the dark and not the light
I looked for You in drama
In the earthquake and the fire
And found You in the quiet,
You were waiting for me there.
I looked for You in miracles
In the loud, in voices raised
I looked for You in gatherings
In signs, in prayer and praise
But I found you in the gentle breeze
The still small voice, the darkened cave.

I found you in the spaces
Between sleeping and awake
I found you in the waiting
The worry, in the fear
I found You in the sleepless night
I found You in despair
I found You in the questions
No loud answers anywhere
I found You in the silence
Silence full not silence void
I found You in the spaces
You were looking for me there.

—poem by Rachel Holley,   © 2007

(This blog is copied from my personal blog at http://www.onlybyprayer.com.)

This month we are looking at God as our Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our Peace. Peace is a promise that Jesus gives to his followers.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

When we need an example of someone who demonstrated peace in the midst of chaotic circumstances, we need only look to Jesus.

In Mark 4, He and the disciples were in a boat when a storm blew up and waves engulfed the boat. Jesus was asleep in the boat and the disciples frantically woke him up. Jesus’ words to the wind and the seas were “Peace be still” (Mark 4:39).

In the middle of a hungry crowd of 5,000 people the disciples wanted to send everyone away because they had no idea how they were going to feed all those people. Jesus, however, instructed them to feed the people. I can imagine the disciples’ incredulous looks, because I am sure I would have been doing the same thing myself. I know how I worry over whether I have enough food to feed my guests at Thanksgiving, let alone 5,000 uninvited guests! Jesus told them to take stock on what they did have, then blessed it and kept passing it around.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was deeply distressed. Yet, he had the presence of mind to maintain His composure when the guards came to arrest Him and even healed the high priest’s servant after Peter cut his ear off (Luke 22:51).

We need to ask the question, What was the source of Jesus’ peace?

I think that many of us naturally would say that of course Jesus would have this peace because He was God. But, we also need to remember that He was fully man, too, and had to experience life as a man.

I believe Jesus’ peace was because of one main thing: prayer.

All throughout the scriptures, Jesus took time to get away from the crowds of people to go to pray. Mark 6:46 is one example. “And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.” This was just after the feeding of the five thousand. Praying to His Father kept Jesus calm and in unity with God’s plans. It also gave Him security. Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going.

This begs the question, Do you know where you came from and where you are going?

Is your identity tied up in Christ? Do you have the assurance that He has got your past sins and mistakes covered and that You belong to Him? When we have that settled in our lives, when we have asked Christ to forgive us of our sins and to take control of our lives, it gives us the assurance we need to face the future with confidence that God has our backs. No matter what we face, He is there with us.

Tomorrow we are going to further explore how prayer and peace are tied up together in our lives. Until then, pray on!