II Timothy 1:7; John 14:27; Romans 12; Galatians 5 - "Peace Be Still"

My typical Saturday night had only two times of praying for pastors. Both times these words to Peace Be Still were going through my mind...

Peace be still
Say the word and I will
Set my feet upon the sea
Till I'm dancing in the deep
Oh, peace be still
You are here so it is well
Even when my eyes can't see
I will trust the voice that speaks

God had me praying for pastors to accept His peace in the midst of all the chaos that is happening in our world. He said there are many who are getting caught up in the craziness instead of allowing Him to "quiet their souls"..."be their strength"...and "calm their fears"! He had me pray for wisdom and strength for those who are regathering today such as my friend David and many others. There is so much controversy with the coronavirus. Masks or no masks; social distancing or not; singing in church or not; etc. My prayers were directed to the pastors to have wisdom with their words and attitude toward these things and most of all for them to not allow anything to take their focus off of Him. He reminded me that we all need to stand upon II Timothy 1:7 and allow Him to empower us through the 'good' days and the 'tough' days. As we do, we will remember the words of John 14:27.

“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.”

When people see us living a life in His peace, they will desire the same. This world is so far from being peaceful but we do not have to live as others. We need to live in God's strength. He reminded me during the night that no one has to live as the world does. We need to allow Him to transform us as Paul wrote of in the beginning of Romans 12.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Living sacrifices! Wow! Can we live as such in this world? Of course we can when we allow God to dwell in us. As we live in this world with so much unrest we do not have to live in the state of no peace. He desires us to live in the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5 which include peace. His peace. That may mean we need to: walk away from conversations that are causing arguing; quit following people on social media that are causing you to become angry; pray for our enemies; etc. We must ask ourselves at all times if we are living as God desires. Are we staying focused on Him or allowing the circumstances of the world be our focus? Are we showing others how to live in His peace? Do people see us as calm or going crazy with worry? There is little to no peace in this world but we can live in His peace and show the path to a spiritual calmness and contentment. 

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the opportunity to pray for pastors during the night! Thank You for my pastor/husband! Thank You for the way You are going to empower Doc today as we preach and then enjoy more family this afternoon! Thank You for working through medicine to enable him to eat and function more normally! It has been a pleasure to have him drive some these last few days. Thank You for that blessing! Thank You for the work completed yesterday on the building! Father, once again I pray for all pastors to be focused on You, especially during these 'tough' days with the coronavirus, riots/unrest, etc. I pray a blessing over the churches regathering this morning such as my friend David. During the night You brought to my mind to pray for people who are offended by pastors who present Father's Day sermons to not be offended. I prayed for the hurts of their heart to be healed. Lord, I know there are many hurting today due to the loss of their earthly father, not having a good relationship with their earthly father, fathers with prodigal children...the list goes on and on. May You be greater than the pains they are experiencing. Lord, I miss my earthly Daddy but am grateful for the knowledge he is with You. May You cleanse me so You can fill me with more of You so I can live as You desire. May You be my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts throughout this day so people will see/hear You instead of me. May Your peace ooze out of me. May Your love ooze out of me. Oh Father, how I love You and desire to please You. Thank You Jesus for being My Peace! Amen.