Inner Peace
"For You have been a defense for the helpless...a refuge from the storm..." - Isaiah 25:4
A contest offered a valuable prize for the best illustration of the concept of peace. Many artists entered. There were renderings of beautiful sunsets over calm seas and hazy scenes of tranquil rivers in lush valleys. The prize winner's depiction was very different from these tranquil scenes. Painted in black and gray, it depicted the terror of a violent storm. Lightning split the clouds; rain and hail pounded the ground. In the center of the painting was a storm-tossed oak tree. Holding on with all its might to one of the limbs of the tree was a little bird, singing at the top of its lungs. That's true peace.
Ultimate peace is not the absence of storms but inner peace amidst storms. And man never finds lasting inner peace until he finds peace with God. For when you find peace with God, you begin to experience peace within.
Have you found that peace? I hope you will. It begins with knowing Christ as Lord.
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18 Comments
It is true that peace comes from knowing the triune God: Father Abba, Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This devotion compliments the new prayer community website by RFTH, Right from the Knees. Peace can be found by releasing burdens to God through prayer. It is nice to know people care enough to pray for one another. Check out the new site and you will be blessed! - Janice
Since Janice brought up the new site- it's very creative and all the praying sure looks like fun- but do we have any evidence that it works? Prayer I mean. Not the site. - Erik
Well, the only evidence I have are my own experiences. I'am 52yrs old and God has always graciously answered my prayers. What some people don't always understand is that sometimes He answers yes, sometimes wait, and sometimes No. In hindsight the answered prayers I am most grateful for are the no answers.Thank goodness He hasn't always given me some of the things I asked for, especially when I was younger. :-) - Becky
Inner peace truly comes from a real personal relationship with the one who died for the sins of the world. True salvation comes from accepting the finished work that he completed on Calvary. Once you meet him then you let him give you that "peace that passeth all understanding" that only he can. What a wonderful experience it becomes when you let him in. I am glad he loves even when I dissapoint him. - Jerry
Erik, The Bible is my evidence of answered prayer. I believe the Bible to be true and there are prayers recorded along with their answers. Of course everyone remembers the prayer of Jabez as one example. Also I have had personal prayers answered one way or another but even had I not I would still believe in prayer because it is recorded in God's word. I do not expect with your scientific analysis that you will have appreciation of my answer. Prayer is in the spiritual realm and John 4:24 states, "God is spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." God understands those who approach Him in prayer in spirit and truth and with faith. I pray you will someday be able to do that. - Janice
Janice,
There are many people who do not belive that prayer works, even within the church. Prayer has been put down for many reasons but there is one thing we can hold on to,Jesus said "Whatsoever ye ask in my name ye shall receive". I have seen many prayers answered in peoples lives because someone belived in the worth of prayer. I know one sister who had been to several doctors about her heart condition and all of the doctors agreed she had to have open heart surgery. On the morning of the surgery one more test was performed and the blockage was gone and she hasn't had a problem since. The sunday before she had the last test ran she asked for the elders of the church to follow the scriptures in James and we did, we annointed her with oil and prayed for her and God healed her. It was nothing that we did other than we followed his word and we belived, after this she received. Again he gives us peace in knowing he takes care of his children.
- Jerry
Erik the best evidence I can think of it works is that you continue to respond to these devotions. - Bridgette
What about all of the prayers we pray that are never answered. What is that all about? What about when you pray bad things still happen?
Please answer this question. - Reese
Reese, God answers prayers but sometimes it is no. Also sometimes things happens for reasons that we don't understand. Have you prayed for things and thought maybe the prayer was prayed wrong. In James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Many times in my life I have prayed some selfish prayers and that is the reason they were answered the way they were. Sometimes we pray for love ones to survive an awful ordeal and then they die, well God knows what might be down the road for them and he chooses for them not to endure it. Be assured God know best and if we will be patient we will learn a lesson. I hope this might help you and I know sometimes we don't understand but trust God he loves you. - Jerry
Reese, I do sometimes wonder why some of my prayers seem to go unanswered or why God takes so long to move on my prayers. He has His reasons and I may understand in time. From what I have studied about prayer it is important to not have any blocks between You and God when You pray and make requests of Him. That means no unconfessed sin. Also it means going to God through Jesus who goes before us representing us to God with righteousness through Him (Jesus). I have read of people who were not having prayers answered who went into lengthy confession of sin pouring out every wrong thing they could think of that was sin in their lives before God and after that they had their prayers answered. If unconfessed sin is not a block then I would assume that God knows best and will do things in His timing if He deems anything needs doing.
Thanks Jerry for your thoughtful and supportive comment. You always bring glory to God. - Janice
Does prayer work? Depends on what you mean by "work." This is where the secular world misses the point of prayer. It seems a lot of people think of God as a genie in a bottle. - Austin
Austin, Thank you for your comment. After reading it, it has given me a good topic for a sermon in the near future. You are so right, people expect God to appear and say you now have three wishes and then wants them the way they ask for them. We need to becareful how we ask for things from God because he might answer them just the way we ask for them and sometimes the answer might not be good. Have a good day. - Jerry
There is, of course, zero evidence that prayer works. See American Heart Journal of April 2006; There was no differenc between those patients who were prayed for and those wo were not. Gee, what a surprise. There was, however, a differenc between those who KNEW they had been prayed for and those who did not know one way or the other; but humerously, the results were in the wrong direction. Those who knew they had been the beneficiaries of prayer suffered significantly more complications than those who did not. Needless to say, the negative results of the experiment will not shake the faithful.
Erik seems to be our resident atheist here trying to talk sense into those who've abandoned reason for faith. Good luck Erik. - Jonathan
Jonathan, like any other study, you need all of the details, all of the facts of the study. Just as you found this study that disputes the power of prayer, you will also find other studies that attribute healing to a strong a religious faith and the power of prayer. Jonathan, all of us who regularly visit this site will add you to our prayer list. - FCE
LOL! Don't bother. I'm 100% convinced religions are untrue, just as much as I'm convinced the Invisible Flying Spaghettie Monster doesn't exist. So don't worry about me. - Jonathan
Jonathon,
If you don't believe then why bother those of us who hasn't bothered you? No one hog tied you and made you visit this site. Whether you believe or not on Christ does not change anybody'e mind about how we feel. It is an age old saga where those who do not believe accuse those who do as being fools and those of us who do belive think of those who don't as being irresponsible and doomed. Well one thing for sure we all will die one day and then we will find out which one was right. I would rather live my life as a christian and die and then find out that it was all a joke than to live as a unbeliever and die and then find out it was all real and than be cast into hell. I hope one day you will find out which way you will believe but if not it will make many people sad but that is your choice and you cant blame anyone but yourself. I believe Jesus loves you and wants you to believe in him and you have been told this so you live your life the way you want. - Jerry
Ok Jerry. But why is the choice between no God and a Christian God? The choice, in reality, is a choice between no God and an infinite number of things we humans can dream up, of which Christianity is just but one of those things. So, given there are a million irrational things one could dream up, and the other, being sensible reasoning. I choose sensible reasoning. However, even if your fictious Christian God exists, let's say, then I think He/She/It will reward me for using my mind and taping into my God-given curiousity versus blindly following what ignorant people wrote down on paper 2,000 years ago. - Jonathan
Jonathon, He is not a "Christian God he is just God Jehovah. In the early ages when people began to call on a higher power there was many different ways that their prayers was answered. Jewish history (actual history not something we thought up) even records of unusual happenings. Down thru the years historians have reported of events happening and then find out that it was told that it would happen by the Bible that I read. I know you have a questionable mind but look at things with a open mind. At one time I was told not to listen to bible thumpers and I listened to what I was told but later I began to see things in a different light and now I am proud to say God and his Son is the main director of my life. You may never believe anything about God but I will pray for you. - Jerry