Silence is very difficult . . . yet, it is in this place where God can choose to speak or not to speak and I am still able to know He is near because of the promise of His word in James 4:8 (“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”).

Scripture is very clear that God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) dwells within those who believe and who have entered into relationship with the Living Jesus. It takes time to release thoughts, troubles, etc. and simply be present to God so that He is able to connect with me. God can most certainly speak any way He wishes–even in the busiest, loudest moments of life. But I hear better when I take care to purposefully disentangle myself from every distraction and be still. This means putting my cell phone far away, shutting the lid to my computer, and just getting completely alone.

I can be confident that my silence is prayer that God hears–I am telling my Father that He has center stage. He alone is holy, holy, holy. He is worthy above anyone or anything I could choose to engage with in this moment. I choose Him.

My silence releases the ache of my heart to be close and intimate with all that He is. In my silence, I am able to “be still and know that He alone is God” (Psalm 46:10). I know that my Father is good, kind, and very present to me. He wants to hear my heartbeat as much or even more than I want to hear His. He wants all of my prayer-filled attention, and to know that all of my distractions have been set aside to allow His glory to fill the temple of the Holy Spirit that He has created for Himself.

The prayer of silence speaks from a yieldedness that cannot be accomplished more fully in any other form. It simply is for Him. His presence is all I need. In silence, I can remember that this is so.

As I have mentioned, silence is not an easy way to be present to God in prayer. This discipline takes time and practice. It is much simpler to speak to Him with words. But sometimes the offering of my words does not always give Him an offering of myself. And just being quiet doesn’t mean prayer is taking place.

Here are three ways to enable yourself to practice silent prayer:

1. Remove distractions. There is no way to enter into silent prayer when people, technology or visual/auditory stimuli are present. You can’t multi-task in silent prayer. You will need to find your silent prayer sweet spot with God alone.
2. Cleanse yourself from sin. Recognize any sinfulness in your life, submit it to God with a repentant heart and receive His forgiveness and cleansing.
3. Take every thought captive. The best way to do this is to turn your thoughts to the Father with a deep desire to minister to Him. Put your thoughts on His glory, His creation, His sacrifice, His mercy, etc.

Silent prayer invites the mystery of God to come near. Take time to cultivate His presence in this way, and you will encounter His presence, power and peace in fresh ways. He will come near to you as you sacrifice all else for a desire to draw near to Him in the stillness.

 (c) Harvest Prayer Ministries

Though unwanted, fear seems to be a universal part of life.

Reaction to fear varies from person to person, but fears that are not dealt with can bring damage and paralysis to a life. An example would be the individual with acrophobia (a fear of heights) who may be paralyzed with terror when faced with being in a tall building, or even climbing a small ladder. That’s just one example of many of how fear can bind us and keep us from a fulfilled, joyful life.

Christians should and often do, turn to the Lord and ask Him to take away their fears. That is a simple request and really is something we can do in full assurance since the Lord does not want us to live in fear. One of the most common commands in scripture from the Lord is: “Fear not!”

Where difficulty enters in is when we pray, asking for fear to be removed, and nothing seems to happen. We find ourselves as paralyzed by fear as before we prayed. What happened? Or rather, what didn’t happen and why? There are probably many answers that have to do with our unwillingness to let go of fear. But I believe God’s Word gives us a wonderful way to bypass the blocks to removing fear and receive great peace.

David’s prayer in Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears,” contains the key: “I sought the Lord.” His desire was not so much for fears to be relieved as it was to experience the presence of the Lord. He sought God, not just what God would do for him or give him. It’s a pure prayer that focuses on the Lord and brings delight to God’s heart.

What about the fear issue? David made it clear that when he sought the Lord, the Lord delivered him from all his fears. Just like a parent coming into the room of a fearful child, that’s the natural response to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

It’s just as Jesus taught us, if we seek Him first, then many good things will follow. As you seek the Lord and enjoy His presence, you will find that your fears have subsided and peace has taken their place.

Some of Dave’s Book

Scheduling Contact:

Email: dave@harvestprayer.com

Phone: (812) 230-3130

Saturday, October 7, 2017, is marked in my mind and heart as one of the most extraordinary days I’ve ever experienced. That’s kind of funny because it doesn’t involve one of those big, memorable events that so often mark our memories. I was in Washington, D.C. for the Awaken the Dawn days of worship and prayer.

Though there was a main stage and some really great worship leaders and speakers, that’s not what I will carry with me the rest of my life. What impacted me most were 58 tents, one for each state, along with tents for regions and Israel, all of them filled with Christ followers who worshiped and prayed 24 hours a day over the course of three days.

Again and again as I walked through our National Mall, I was struck by the extraordinary nature of unending prayer and worship in the heart of our nation. In the center of our Capitol, where power is often an idol, Jesus was continually worshiped. Most of the time it was a small group with a guitar or keyboard in a small tent, though sometimes a louder and larger group in one of the regional tents grabbed my attention. But wherever I went, it was Jesus who was exalted. It was absolutely overwhelming!

And then there was prayer! Not just in the tents, but all over the Mall. People grabbing each other and asking how they could pray for each other. Prayer circles everywhere. These weren’t part of some leader’s plan, but the work of the Spirit of God prompting the Lord’s people to intercede for one another, as well as for those walking by who didn’t know Jesus. From Friday afternoon through Monday morning, a spirit of prayer prevailed in our nation’s Capitol.

I was also moved by the lack of promotion. You could have asked virtually anyone there, “What ministry or organization is leading this event?,” and you would have gotten a shrug of the shoulders. God gave a vision for this to a young man named David Bradshaw and then God moved many ministries and individuals to come alongside. That made this one of those rare events where only Jesus got credit and was exalted.

So now what? I’m praying that the principle of the tents moves across America. It doesn’t have to be in a tent, but it is the principle of unending worship and prayer that is firmly focused on Jesus. Will this be a lasting movement? Is this the beginning of revival? It certainly can be. It has all the marks of revival. If we can avoid self-promotion and continue to make it all about Jesus. If we keep seeing extraordinary worship and prayer that is unending and Christ exalting . . . we just may be seeing that for what so many have longed, for such a long time: a new Christ Awakening in our nation!

Check out Awaken the Dawn here! The movement continues!

–David Butts (1953-2022) was the co-founder and president of Harvest Prayer Ministries , the chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee and the author of many books on prayer and revival, including When God Shows Up.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

The Lord has amazing timing, doesn’t he? For several months I have been pulling together resources and studying Scriptures to write this devotional. By the time I sat down actually to write it, peace had become far more than just a topic to study. It was becoming an integral part of my life. I had no idea how important that was to become.

I often withdraw to other places to write, and I did so for this devotional. The Holy Spirit was at work and it seemed like the devotionals flowed for several days. Then came the call. It was a call I was waiting for from some medical tests I had done a week earlier. The tests results showed that I had a rare form of cancer called B Cell Mantle Lymphoma. I confess that the writing stopped for two days while my wife, Kim and I scoured the internet to learn all we could of this disease. As we learned, we discovered things we didn’t want to know! This was going to be a full-on struggle to survive! I can honestly say that though we had moments of uncertainty and stress, God’s peace never left us.

Writing a manuscript on God’s peace in an imperfect world was a miraculous blessing from God to prepare me through his Word, with his peace, for the news he knew I would soon receive.

Far more than just an academic topic, his peace is a reality. A precious gift to be received and for which we give thanks.

It is a peace beyond understanding. A cancer diagnosis typically brings much fear and anxiety and I do not pretend that there have not been anxious thoughts. But in a way I do not understand and cannot begin to explain, God’s amazing peace guarded our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I think the keyword is guard. It isn’t that there are not anxious thoughts and fears that arise. But a guard has supernaturally been set upon our hearts through Christ Jesus. This guard is awake and alert and prevents the natural thoughts and fears from gaining a foothold in our lives. Our minds and emotions do not have to be subservient to the circumstances around us. The peace of God is a strong guard that protects us and allows us to overcome a situation with the thoughts that come from him.

Once again, the key to all of this is desiring it and asking for it. You can read Phil. 4:7 and feel good about it but if you do not through prayer and faith accept it into your life, it is simply nice words. God’s peace is available for all followers of Christ if we will ask for it and accept it into our lives. Then we can cultivate his peace through a life of prayer and trust.

My Prayer

How grateful I am Lord, for your timing and the way you prepared me for the news of the medical issues I face. But you had already placed your peace in my life to guard and protect me. I know Lord, you want this for all of your people. Help us to be those who walk daily in your peace as we spend our days with you.

Prayer Point

Ask the Lord to place peace as a guard for your heart and mind.

Because this is a devotional on peace, it is embarrassing to admit that sometimes I have some anxiety. It can especially hit me at night when I am trying to sleep. If I’m not careful it can develop into a full-blown panic attack. I feel like I can’t stay in bed or I’ll suffocate. There have been times when I find myself up pacing through the house in the middle of the night trying to understand how a Christian who walks in peace can experience such an appalling lack of peace.

I’m not a psychologist who can dissect all the possible reasons for this, but in my own life I know that sometimes, I simply have not accepted the peace of God into a place of permanence in my life. I can read scriptures that speak of peace without stopping and praying, giving God thanks for His peace and allowing His peace to settle into the very depths of who I am.

I would also suggest to you that sometimes the lack of peace is an outworking of the spiritual warfare that surrounds us. Jesus described Satan as a thief. One of the things Satan often tries to steal from me is peace. If my peace is only an emotional attachment, then it becomes easy for the enemy to steal it from me with just a bit of physical discomfort or stirring up my mind with thoughts not from the Lord.

So what do I do when I find myself wandering the house at night, unable to sleep because of a lack of peace? I go to the Word of God and begin to pray one of the many passages that speak of the peace of God.

God’s Word doesn’t present peace as simply the absence of hostility or somehow some state of nirvana we have achieved through meditation. Instead, Scripture ties peace to the presence of God Himself. That’s why I believe that walking in peace becomes a clear sign of someone who is experiencing the revival that comes from God’s presence.

One of my favorite Scriptures to pray at night is Psalm 4:8. “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.” The very ability to lie down and sleep is one of the benefits of peace. Regardless of outward circumstances or inner turmoil, the peace of God gives us the ability to rest in Him. This verse equates peace with the phrase, “for you alone, LORD.” God’s peace is the practical outworking of the Lord’s presence in our lives. He is the one who makes us dwell in safety. This is an amazing gift of God that is to be accepted and embraced.

Note: This is taken from the Introduction of Dave’s 30-day devotional, Prayer, Peace, and the Presence of God. Near the beginning of this writing project, Dave discovered that he had a rare form of lymphoma and that he was already in stage 4! God knew what He was doing! Dave was in God’s “school of peace” as he looked at death’s door. Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God reflects the truths Dave had previously learned that he now had to live out on that journey.

(c) Harvest Prayer Ministries