PRAYER, PEACE, and the PRESENCE of GOD by David Butts

As believers, we are supposed to walk in the peace of Christ, yet we all have stressful issues and circumstances that rob us of this peace. Subtitled “A 30-Day Journey to Experience the Shalom of Jesus,” Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God powerfully encourages the reader on how to hold onto that peace in any circumstance.

The author, David Butts (1953-2022), started writing this book and 10 days into it he got word that he was in stage 4 with a rare form of lymphoma. God allowed him to live in a greater way for five additional years of full-strength ministry.  Dave has challenged readers in Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God to seek after His  best life, no matter what it holds.

His 30-day devotional will encourage, inspire and challenge you that you, too, can experience and walk in the peace of Jesus no matter what circumstances you are walking through.

 Learn more about purchasing this book here

By Dave Butts

Are you satisfied with your Christian life? If we answer honestly, most of us would say, “no.” We instinctively realize that there is something more in store for us. There is a level of commitment, an inner peace, a closeness to the Lord that we know is possible, and yet somehow eludes us. The elusive factor that would make all the difference in the Christian life is what might be called the Yada Factor.

Yada is simply the Hebrew word for “to know.” It is the word used in the Scriptures to describe the physical intimacy within marriage. The exciting part for Christians is that the word “Yada” is not only used in reference to married couples, but also to describe the relationship that should exist between God and His people.

Daniel 11:32 says, “And by smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.” These are the people who Yada (know) their God, and have developed an intimate relationship with Him.

When we think of intimacy with God, prayer comes to mind, because prayer is essential to intimacy with Him. Someone has defined prayer as a love affair with God. Think what a difference it would make in your prayer life and indeed, your entire Christian life, if you approached God with the goal of intimacy in mind. There are four factors that are important in order to achieve this kind of intimacy with God in prayer…if we are to ever Yada (know) our God. These factors are: availability, quality, integrity, and loyalty.

Availability

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me’” (Isaiah 6:8). Isaiah’s attitude and response needs to be the model for every Christian who desires to develop a closer relationship to his Lord. God wants people who will be available whenever and for whatever purpose He wishes to use them.

How can you make yourself available to God? It is not something talked about as much as something you become through a passionate pursuit of Christ. You will recognize people available to the Lord by their depth of consistency and reliability. For example, men and women of prayer will always be accessible to God. Look to Abraham as another example in Genesis 22:1-14, the story of the sacrifice of Isaac. Abraham was a consistent and reliable friend of God (James 2:23). He, like Isaiah, said in a sense, “Here am I…and the son You gave me as well. Whatever You say, Lord. You know I’m always available.”

It’s not always the great acts like Abraham’s that indicate availability. Look at the story of the widow and her giving in Mark 12:41-44. She was available to God and gave out of her poverty. No great gift…but great sacrifice. You may feel that you don’t have much or that you aren’t very talented. God consistently uses people in the most humble of circumstances. He simply asks you to be available to Him when He needs you. That is why it is so important to set aside a part of every day for prayer. It is a primary way to say each day to the Lord, “Today is Yours. Whatever You want, whenever You want, I’m available to You today.” Our willingness to be available is essential to intimacy with the Lord.

Quality

Time spent with the Lord should always be filled with quality. Psalm 119:2 says, “How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart.” We can look at quality as meaning excellence or superiority or with the idea of total attention. Both aspects are important in prayer.

How often have you begun your prayer time, only to be distracted by everything going on around you or by wandering and distracting thoughts? At times like this, we become aware that we are not giving Him our total attention…our whole heart.

If we are to have a quality time with the Lord, there must be a depth of intensity and sensitivity. Look at the prayers of the early Church. As you glimpse into the prayer life of a man like the Apostle Paul, you see one who was often moved to tears as he prayed. That’s intensity! When was the last time you wept as you prayed? Prayer needs to be that passionate for us. Then, as we pray, we must be sensitive to that still, small voice as He responds and answers.

Perhaps one of the best things we can do to improve the quality of our prayer time is to establish a prayer covenant as Israel did in 2 Chronicles 15:12,15: “And they entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul…and all Israel rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.” Can we commit ourselves as individuals, and perhaps even as a whole congregation, to seek Him with our whole heart? Quality time with the Lord each day is essential to intimacy.

Integrity

Your integrity will greatly affect your prayer life and intimacy with the Lord. By integrity, I mean moral soundness… the quality of your lifestyle. The old adage, “What you are speaks so strongly that I cannot hear what you say,” can perhaps be applied to the Christian’s prayer life.

Jeremiah says, “…through deceit they refused to know me” (Jeremiah 9:6). Again we find the word “Yada” (know). Without integrity you cannot build intimacy. In order to build integrity there must be a depth of honesty and sincerity…not only with God, but also with others. “In your integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever”(Psalm 41:12). In this passage we see that coming into the presence of God, becoming intimate with the Creator Himself, is closely connected with personal integrity.

We can see the importance of honesty by looking at human relationships. You typically do not become close or intimate with one whom you do not trust. Intimacy depends upon honesty, both in human relationships and in our relationship with God. It is essential to intimacy with the Lord that we maintain our integrity.

Loyalty

When you think of intimacy with God through prayer, loyalty does not often enter the mind, but it is an important factor. Loyalty signifies manifest devotion. It implies a close personal relationship that is steadfast. One of the great stories of loyalty found in the Bible is in 2 Samuel 15:13-23. There we find Ittai the Gittite, following David in his flight from Absalom’s rebellion. Even though he had no stake in the fight and David released him from following, Ittai replied, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.”

There must be a depth of fidelity and dependability if our intimacy with the Lord is to grow. We need to be saying, “Lord, I commit this time to You every day, and You can depend on it.” Loyalty is the very nucleus of intimacy.

Here are some practical suggestions for a life of intimacy with the Lord in prayer:

1.  Set a particular time of day for your prayer time.
2.  Set a specific length of time to pray each day.
3.  Find a place to get away for your praying.
4.  Pray when you don’t feel like it.
5.  Be specific in your prayers.

The Apostle Paul had this great desire for intimacy with God. In Philippians 3:10 we find him expressing the desire, “I want to know Christ…” Once again we find the “Yada” phrase, though in Greek rather than in Hebrew. Paul is saying that nothing will truly satisfy him but knowing God on an intimate level. Nor will we find our satisfaction, joy, or peace in anything this world has to offer. It is in knowing God that we have eternal life. It is in knowing God that we begin to experience all that God has in store for us in this world as well. May growing deeper in your intimacy with Christ become a passion for the rest of your life!

PRAYER, PEACE, and the PRESENCE of GOD by David Butts

As believers, we are supposed to walk in the peace of Christ, yet we all have stressful issues and circumstances that rob us of this peace. Subtitled “A 30-Day Journey to Experience the Shalom of Jesus,” Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God powerfully encourages the reader on how to hold onto that peace in any circumstance.

The author, David Butts (1953-2022), started writing this book and 10 days into it he got word that he was in stage 4 with a rare form of lymphoma. God allowed him to live in a greater way for five additional years of full-strength ministry.  Dave has challenged readers in Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God to seek after His  best life, no matter what it holds.

His 30-day devotional will encourage, inspire and challenge you that you, too, can experience and walk in the peace of Jesus no matter what circumstances you are walking through.

 Learn more about purchasing this book here

PRAYER, PEACE, and the PRESENCE of GOD by David Butts

As believers, we are supposed to walk in the peace of Christ, yet we all have stressful issues and circumstances that rob us of this peace. Subtitled “A 30-Day Journey to Experience the Shalom of Jesus,” Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God powerfully encourages the reader on how to hold onto that peace in any circumstance.

The author, David Butts (1953-2022), started writing this book and 10 days into it he got word that he was in stage 4 with a rare form of lymphoma. God allowed him to live in a greater way for five additional years of full-strength ministry.  Dave has challenged readers in Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God to seek after His  best life, no matter what it holds.

His 30-day devotional will encourage, inspire and challenge you that you, too, can experience and walk in the peace of Jesus no matter what circumstances you are walking through.

 Learn more about purchasing this book here

By Dave Butts

One of the more disturbing verses in Scripture concerns Cain, the second man to ever live – the eldest son of Adam and Eve. After Cain killed his brother Abel, he is put under a curse that makes him a wanderer. The ground, which received his brother Abel’s blood, will no longer produce for Cain. A worker of the soil, Cain is cut off by his own actions from his means of livelihood.

Following his conversation with God after Abel’s murder, comes an action that foreshadows much of future human history. It is found in Genesis 4:16: “So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”

We don’t know where Nod was. There is no recollection in any historical account of where this land was. But the Hebrew meaning of the word “nod” tells us much about the spiritual condition of Cain. Nod means “wanderings” in the original Hebrew. Cain went out into the land of wanderings…. wanderings apart from the presence of God.

We don’t know if Cain had a choice here. Maybe he was driven from the Lord’s presence, though the text does not clearly state that. It seems more likely that Cain chose to leave the Lord’s presence because of his sin and feelings of guilt. It certainly seems that way when you consider the resultant generations and their wickedness and rebellion against God.

What Cain did physically, mankind since has done spiritually. We have left the presence of the Lord, wandering off in our ways, doing what seems right to us. Ignoring our Maker, we live in the land of Nod.

It is easy to understand how those who have never encountered the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ can wander off. It is almost beyond belief that Christians can do the same. But I would suggest to you with sorrow that much of the Church today is asleep in the Land of Nod. They have left the presence of God for a life of wandering apart from Him.

Harsh words? Perhaps! But consider the warnings of Scripture about just such a possibility. Jesus asked if He would find faith on earth when He returned. The Apostle John in the letters to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation warns about the danger of a church failing to remain a church. The author of Hebrews warns against the danger of drifting away from the faith: “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” (Hebrews 2:1). Perhaps that phrase “drifting away” may be helpful to us as we try to understand the dangers here. We may not be like Cain and simply leave God’s presence. It may be more of a drifting away. Less time with Him today…even less time tomorrow. Suddenly it seems we are so far away that it might not be worth the effort to try and return.

Have you ever been in a rowboat on a good-sized lake? The boat isn’t far from shore, so it wouldn’t take long to row back to the dock. But the sun is hot and it feels so good beating down on you that you decide to close your eyes and take a bit of a nap. You awake from your nap, astonished at how far away the dock is now. It’s no longer a short row, but a long distance requiring strenuous effort. You didn’t so much decide to leave the shore as you simply decided to let things drift.

The third verse of the old hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” speaks much to us of this tendency toward drifting:

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love:
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

– Robert Robinson

This leaving the presence of the Lord can obviously happen to an individual, but it is of great concern that it can happen to a body of believers as well. The Lord’s warning to the Ephesian Church in Revelation 2 is directed at the whole congregation. Together they had served the Lord and held on to the right doctrines, but had lost their first love. As a church, they had left the Lord’s presence and were dwelling in the land of Nod.

How many congregations today are asleep in the land of Nod? Isn’t it interesting that there are outward similarities in the Hebrew word for wanderings (nod) and our English word “nod”? Webster’s dictionary defines the English word “nod” as: “a quick downward motion of the head as one falls off to sleep.” Sleepy churches drift off to sleep, moving away from the presence of God, not so much by intention, as by inaction.

These spiritually sleepy churches may in fact be very noisy – filled with loud songs and much activity. But in fact, a spiritual drowsiness has come over them as they drift away from any true interaction with the Christ who is their Head.

What will wake up sleepy Christians in the Land of Nod? Only a fresh awakening to the presence of Christ in their midst! This is not a call to a new program for waking the sleeping. Enough of our programs! It is a call for repentance and a return to the presence of Christ.

This happens as pastors and church leaders lead their congregations in prayers of humility and repentance for trying to do the Lord’s work apart from His strength and empowerment. It happens as preachers covenant to preach Christ and Him alone! It happens as individual believers resolve to seek His face in a fresh, new way. It happens as our hearts join with the heart of David as he prays: “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face Lord, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8).

PRAYER, PEACE, and the PRESENCE of GOD by David Butts

As believers, we are supposed to walk in the peace of Christ, yet we all have stressful issues and circumstances that rob us of this peace. Subtitled “A 30-Day Journey to Experience the Shalom of Jesus,” Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God powerfully encourages the reader on how to hold onto that peace in any circumstance.

The author, David Butts (1953-2022), started writing this book and 10 days into it he got word that he was in stage 4 with a rare form of lymphoma. God allowed him to live in a greater way for five additional years of full-strength ministry.  Dave has challenged readers in Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God to seek after His  best life, no matter what it holds.

His 30-day devotional will encourage, inspire and challenge you that you, too, can experience and walk in the peace of Jesus no matter what circumstances you are walking through.

 Learn more about purchasing this book here

By Dave Butts

When focusing on the Second Coming of Jesus, most Christians seem to want to talk of nothing but speculation concerning future events:

    * Will the Temple be rebuilt…where?
    * Will the rapture happen before, in the midst of, or after the tribulation?
    * Will there be a great tribulation?
    * Which world leader is the anti-Christ?

After examining Scripture, you will find that the focus is not on trying to figure out the details in advance, but rather on the response of the Christian to the imminent return of Christ. Look how Jesus commands us to respond to indications of the nearness of His return:

    Matthew 24:
    “Watch out that no one deceives you” (verse 4)
    “See to it that you are not alarmed” (verse 6)
    “Stand firm to the end” (verse 13)
    “Keep watch” (verse 42)

    Mark 13:
    “Watch out that no one deceives you” (verse 5)
    “Do not be alarmed” (verse 7)
    “Be on your guard” (verse 9)
    “Do not worry” (verse 11)
    “Stand firm” (verse 13)
    “Be on your guard” (verse 23)
    “Be on your guard. Be alert” (verse 33)
    “Keep watch” (verse 35)
    “Watch” (verse 37)

    Luke 21:
    “Watch out that you are not deceived” (verse 8)
    “Do not be frightened” (verse 9)
    “Stand firm” (verse 19)
    “Stand up and lift up your heads” (verse 28)
    “Be careful” (verse 34)
    “Be always on the watch and pray” (verse 36)

This last verse, Luke 21:36, I believe sums up the biblical response of the Christian to the return of the Lord… “Be always on the watch and pray.” God today appears to be restoring the “Watch of the Lord.” Christians around the world are beginning to take seriously the command to watch and pray. There are even places where prayer is lifted up continuously.

Jim Goll in his excellent book, The Lost Art of Intercession, describes the job of a watchman:

“The Greek word of ‘watch’ in these verses is gregoreuo, and it means ‘to be vigilant, wake, to be watchful.’ A watchman on the wall does many things. He carefully watches what is happening and alerts the community when good ambassadors approach the city. The guardsman then will open the gates and lower the bridge so the ambassadors may enter. A watchman also warns the city far in advance when an enemy approaches. He sounds an alarm to awaken the people because he knows ‘to forewarn them is to alert and arm them.’ Then they quickly can rally to take their stand on the wall against the enemy before he wrongfully tries to enter the city.” (Pg. 62).

What a powerful picture of the role of the intercessor in God’s plans. God has given instructions concerning the watchman on the walls in Ezekiel 33 and to those who kept watch during the building of Jerusalem’s walls during Nehemiah’s day. Today the Church is once again being called to the walls of our cities as watchmen.

We have a great historical model of what it means to be watchmen and how that can affect world history. I’m referring to the Moravian prayer watch that began in 1772 and lasted for over 100 years. Here are excerpts from an article by Leslie K. Tarr about that astonishing prayer movement: “Fact: The Moravian community of Herrnhut in Saxony, in 1727, commenced an around-the-clock prayer watch that continued nonstop for over a hundred years.

“Fact: By 1792, 65 years after the commencement of that prayer vigil, the small Moravian community had sent forth 300 missionaries to the ends of the earth.

“Could it be that there is some relationship between those two facts? Is fervent intercession a basic component in world evangelization? The answer to both questions is surely an unqualified ‘yes.’

“The heroic 18th century evangelization thrust of the Moravians has not received the attention it deserves. But even less heralded than their missionary exploits is that one-hundred-year prayer meeting that sustained the fires of evangelism!

“During its first five years of existence, the Herrnhut settlement showed few signs of spiritual power. By the beginning of 1727, the community of about three hundred people was wracked by dissension and bickering, an unlikely site for revival.

 “Zinzendorf and others, however, covenanted to pray and labor for revival. On May 12, revival came. Christians were aglow with new life and power, and dissension vanished and unbelievers were converted.

 “Looking back to that day and the four glorious months that followed, Count Zinzendorf later recalled: ‘The whole place represented truly a visible habitation of God among men.’ A spirit of prayer was immediately evident in the fellowship and continued throughout ‘that golden summer of 1727,’ as the Moravians came to designate that period. On August 27 of that year, twenty-four men and twenty-four women covenanted to spend one hour each day in scheduled prayer. Some others also enlisted in the ‘hourly intercession.’

“‘For over 100 years, the members of the Moravian church all shared in the “hourly intercession.” At home and abroad, on land and sea, this prayer watch ascended unceasingly to the Lord,’ stated historian A. J. Lewis.”

The Church today is increasingly looking to the example of these godly Moravians and their 100-year prayer watch as a model of where God is calling us today. The spiritual deterioration of our world and the Church’s desperate need for revival, demand a response as radical as that practiced by those at Herrnhut.

The exciting thing is that it is beginning to happen. Several years ago,  my wife and I spent three days at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, where hundreds gather for prayer and worship that ascends to the Father 24 hours a day, seven days a week. God is raising up similar models of unending praise and intercession in cities around the U.S. Even individual churches are looking for ways to establish continual rhythms of prayer.

We’re beginning to see prayer, not as a quick fix, but a way of life that opens the door for God’s power to be poured out upon us. If you are in a city where there is a Watch of the Lord operating, please become a part of that group. If there is no place of continual prayer near you, begin to pray, asking God to raise up those who are willing to take prayer to a whole new level in your community. Let’s be willing to pray the price to see revival come to our world! 

PRAYER, PEACE, and the PRESENCE of GOD by David Butts

As believers, we are supposed to walk in the peace of Christ, yet we all have stressful issues and circumstances that rob us of this peace. Subtitled “A 30-Day Journey to Experience the Shalom of Jesus,” Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God powerfully encourages the reader on how to hold onto that peace in any circumstance.

The author, David Butts (1953-2022), started writing this book and 10 days into it he got word that he was in stage 4 with a rare form of lymphoma. God allowed him to live in a greater way for five additional years of full-strength ministry.  Dave has challenged readers in Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God to seek after His  best life, no matter what it holds.

His 30-day devotional will encourage, inspire and challenge you that you, too, can experience and walk in the peace of Jesus no matter what circumstances you are walking through.

 Learn more about purchasing this book here