Growing up in the sixties and seventies gave me a firsthand view of the peace sign used by anti-war protestors and many others. Those two fingers signifying peace was all about being against war. Though being against war is good, the peace that Jesus speaks of is far more than the absence of hostilities. The peace of Christ is more about what is happening inside of you that what is happening around you. Ultimately, biblical peace is all about the presence of Jesus being lived out in your life.

When Jesus comes walking among His people, nothing remains the same. His presence brings His peace. Anxiety and fear have no place to hide when Jesus is near. Knowing of the fear of the Apostles, Jesus’ first words to them after the Resurrection were, “Peace be with you” (Lk. 24:36). He is still saying that to His followers today. In the midst of our fears, worries, and anxieties, the Son of God is still speaking His peace.

Jesus warned us that in this world we would have tribulation. That’s why it is so important for us to draw near to the Lord in prayer. When we do so, He promises to draw near to us (James 4:8). In His presence there is the peace we so desperately need. When Jesus makes a promise, you can count on its fulfillment. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (Jn.14:27).

If you are feeling troubled or afraid, embrace this promise of Jesus today so that His peace may overcome the turmoil of the world and rest within your heart.

Pray: Lord Jesus, Your word says that if I will draw near to You in prayer then You will draw near to me. Please fulfill Your word and allow me to know Your nearness today. You have promised to give me peace as only You can give. I know I can’t find peace in this world, but only in You. Please keep reminding me that Your peace dwells within me because that’s where You have come to dwell.

A few years ago, my husband went through his second of three battles with cancer. Following treatment that put him in remission, he had an appointment with an integrative oncologist to discuss some alternative ways to keep him healthy. Along with a green smoothie recipe and some other recommendations, Dr. Park talked a lot about stress. This was not a huge surprise as most of us now know how damaging stress can be to our bodies; however, it was how he used an example from his own life as a physician that gripped my heart. He is not a believer in Jesus, but his counsel agrees so completely with the counsel of God. Dr. Park said, “If I came into this room today fully aware and pre-occupied with the fact that there are other patients in rooms waiting for me to get to them, I would come in here worried and stressed. I would hate coming to work every day knowing that I can never keep up as I would like to. But,” he said, looking at my husband, “I choose to come in and focus on you – just you. I have learned how to simply live in the moment I am in and not the moments I can do nothing about other than worry. Stay present to the moment you are in. It will help you relieve worry and stress.”

I translated this exchange with the Dr. into spiritual terms: Stay present to God who is in this moment with you. His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). Every moment of every day God is present to us. He doesn’t take breaks to involve Himself elsewhere. He is within us, about us, for us, and desiring to engage with us in all things. This is a great encouragement to me. And, it is a way to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). As I increase my awareness of Christ in me…continually breathing life into my experiences (good or bad, exciting or mundane), I can lessen my worry about what is next, who is waiting for me to do something, what has happened in the past, or how much work there is to be done. This awareness allows me to stop being conformed to the image of the world, but instead to be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2). I want to be able to stay in the moment with God’s peace and presence rather than in moments that contain stress and worry.

Here are some suggestions on how to live this out in a practical way:

• Put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17) so that the enemy is unable to tempt you to be anxious about other moments rather than the one you are in. We are all in a major war and it is important to be clothed with Christ (the armor) in order to win the daily battles of staying present to the moments He invites us to step into. Don’t forget to praise God that He is the Ultimate Victor in this war! We just want to be His faithful warriors.
• Sit quietly in the presence of God for a few minutes, apart from noise or other distractions. When you are comfortably settled there, release to Him whatever is causing you worry, anxiety, stress or concern. Ask Him to free you from the rushed, crazy pace of the world and to teach you how to be present to Him only. Picture the Father gently touching your head with the intent to release you from the rushed ways of the culture in order to transform you by renewing Your mind.
• Read and pray through Philippians 4:6-7 as a powerful way to overcome the distraction or worry of the other people, events, undone work, etc. that keep you from staying in the spiritually important moments: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” The Devil would like nothing more than to keep us from the moments when we are seeking God’s face, developing and maintaining meaningful relationships, and serving His kingdom.
• Practice staying present to God in every moment. He might wish to speak to you in the most difficult, awkward, or unexpected times. Practice being attentive in the midst of your everyday life. Whether you are overcome with joy, filled with uncertainty, or if you are running away from the moment due to fear or frustration, don’t disconnect from God’s presence. He is near – always.
• Practice focusing on and being present to other people. (especially your family members) you are with by turning off your phone, and/or looking at them instead of an iPod, game or computer screen. Invite God into the moment and see if He doesn’t give you plenty of time to go back to the other things you feel are needing your attention. And, you will not damage relationships with people who feel you are just too busy or that they are not worth your time. Sometimes we miss opportunities God places in front of us because the enemy has succeeded in distracting us. He will even use good, godly things as distractions. What kingdom opportunities are lost because we aren’t staying in the God moments?
• Pray: Father, You are the Peace-giver, and the God who lives in each of my moments, who walks beside me, and who deserves my worship and my time. Keep me from being worried, stressed or distracted by things that rob me of the moments when You have directed me to people, situations or work that will build Your kingdom on this earth. May I rest in the knowledge that You will care for the people and projects that are waiting for my attention so that I can stay focused on whoever You lead me to and whatever You desire me to accomplish for the glory of Your Name alone!

(c) Harvest Prayer Ministries

Have you ever wondered how to respond in a practical way to Paul’s admonition in I Thessalonians 5:18 to “pray without ceasing”? Some of you may have some of the same questions I have wrestled with over the years: How do you do that? What do you pray about continually? Is this even possible?

One extremely useful way to do so in my daily prayer life came to light for me with this one verse:“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his Law he meditates day and night” (Ps.1:2).

Psalm 1 shows us that unceasing prayer begins with an attitude…. delight. That which delights you will be that which you desire and seek after. The Psalmist speaks of the one who has found delight in the Law or Word of the Lord. Rather than looking at prayer as a duty, we should consider looking at it as a delight. A changed attitude changes everything!

Next the Psalmist tells us that this man meditates on the Law (Word) day and night. Here’s the connection to praying without ceasing. The man who delights in the Word of God will be the one who meditates on it day and night. It becomes like breathing to him – something absolutely necessary for life. The Word fills his thoughts and quite naturally those thoughts come before the Lord.

As we look to this model of one who meditates on the Word of God day and night, we realize the Spirit of God has given us an extremely practical way to pray without ceasing. The content of our prayers will be formatted by the Word of God. We begin to think on the Word (meditate) as we go through the day and the Lord births within us the prayers He desires us to pray. Prayer is no longer a requirement or even a scheduled event. It is a lifestyle of delighting in the Lord’s Word and continually talking with Him about that Word. Take this to heart and you will find that it is indeed possible to pray without ceasing!

Dave & Kim Butts with Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz.

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt.24:14).

May I suggest to you that this massive, world-changing event, which Jesus told us to watch for, happened during the funeral of Billy Graham. In every nation, even those we call closed nations, the funeral of the world’s greatest evangelist presented the gospel of the kingdom with clarity and power. Oh, yes, I know that there is still much evangelism ahead of us. But it is a mopping up operation after the gospel has gone around the world.

If this is the case, and I strongly believe that it is, then we are living in amazing times that require much of us. Prayer must move to the forefront of every initiative of the Church as we work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Living toward the end of the end of days means we must draw closer than ever to the Lord in intimate prayer and receive our clear marching orders from Him. We should expect to see a Spirit initiated revival in the Church.

The death of an astonishingly effective evangelist like Billy Graham often brings the question of who will take his place. We are often drawn to the Old Testament story of the mantle of Elijah being passed to Elisha and we ask who will receive the mantle of Billy Graham. The answer is, “No man!” It is a mantle for the Church to wear as we prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. Prayer and evangelism are to become a lifestyle for the whole Church as we move out of our comfort zones and into the war zones of front line Christian living!

There is a wave of prayer that is moving across the face of the earth right now. It is prayer that is focused, not on receiving what we want from God, but on the advance of His Kingdom. In Billy Graham’s latter years he gave himself more and more to prayer. That is a picture of what needs to happen in the Church right now. We must give ourselves more and more to prayer as we cooperate with God in His work on earth.

As God prepared the earth for the first coming of Jesus two thousand years ago, He placed in Jerusalem two older saints, Anna and Simeon. They gave themselves to prayer in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. God is doing the same thing today in preparation for the return of Jesus to planet earth. He is raising up his saints who will give themselves to prayer that paves the way for the coming of Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but I want in on that prayerful mission that will see the triumphal return of Jesus in His timing and in His way!