Prayer For God’s Promise Of Peace

All the Promises of God Are Yes in Christ

Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a double pleasure; I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea.

Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans a worldly man, ready to say Yes and No at once? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes.

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God.

As long as we live in this age—with its sin and pain—our contentment in God should always be a dissatisfiedcontentment.

Paul said in another place, “Not that I have alreadyobtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it myown, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Philippians 3:12).

Christ has made us his own! Our text today (in verses 21–22) saysthat God himself establishes us, anointed us (the Greek behind theRSV “commissioned”), sealed us, and gave us his Spirit as aguarantee. God means for us to have a deep contentment and securityin Christ.

He knows that in Christ he has every spiritual blessing in theheavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). But he also knows that his experienceof these blessings is not as full as it could be.

Paul knows thatthere is more to experience of the hope of our calling and theglory of our inheritance and the greatness of the power at workwithin us (Ephesians 1:18–19).

He knows that there is more strength ofthe Spirit for the inner man, there is more to know of theindwelling Christ, there is more breadth and length and height anddepth of Christ's love to discover, and there is more of thefullness of God than he or any of us has experienced (Ephesians3:16–19).

Therefore every believer, whose contentment is really from theSpirit of God, is a dissatisfied believer. And therefore every truebeliever is a person who prays. Prayer is the heartfelt expressionof holy dissatisfaction.

The more satisfied you are with yourselfthe way you are and with the world the way it is, the less you willpray.

But the more you desire all the fullness of God, the more youdesire to know the breadth and length and height and depth of thelove of Christ, the more you desire to be strengthened with thepower of the Holy Spirit according to the riches of God's glory,the more you desire to know the hope of your calling and the richesof the glory of your inheritance, and the more you desire to beholy and pure and compassionate and patient and kind andtenderhearted and bold and fruitful, the more you will pray and themore passionately you will pray. Little prayer signifies littledesire for God. Perfunctory prayer signifies a perfunctoryrelationship with God.

Prayer at the Dawning of a New Decade

We come to the end of a decade today. And I pray that we arelooking back with a proper mingling of great gratitude and deepcontrition. Contrition for our unbelief and sin, and gratitude forGod's all-surpassing grace.

Tomorrow we enter a new decade, the last decade of the lastcentury in this millennium, and O how I pray that we will enter itwith a proper mingling of deep contentment in the unspeakable,electing, predestining, calling, justifying, glorifying love of Godfor us in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:29–30)—a mingling of thatdeep contentment with a strong dissatisfaction. O that God mightgive us a great, holy dissatisfaction with the level of ourexperience of his fullness (Ephesians 3:19)!

And with that great desire burning in our hearts, we begin thedecade with a week of concerted prayer—the heartfeltexpression of holy dissatisfaction.

Tomorrow morning, asthe new decade begins, give notice to your old nature and to thedevil and to the world, by an act of holy consecration, that youbelong to God and that you desire all the fullness of God more thanyou desire anything in the world.

The Question Before Us

The question that God asks us in our text this morning is this:Are you living in the fullest enjoyment of God's YES to you inChrist Jesus? Or to put it another way: Have you said yes to all ofGod's YES to you? Is there any of God's YES to you to which you aresaying NO or MAYBE or NOT NOW? Let our consecration to God at thebeginning of the 1990s be this: This is the decade of my YES toyou, O God. I consecrate myself to forsake the NO and the MAYBE andthe NOT NOW of my unbelief. And I say YES to everything in your YESto me.

Let's look at the text together so that you can see this wordfrom the Lord the same way I do.

Was Paul's Heart Divided Toward the Corinthians?

According to verses 15–16 Paul had made a plan to visit Corinthtwice to give them a double blessing. He was going to cross theAegean Sea to Corinth on his way to Macedonia, and then come backby Corinth. This was his plan, and they heard about it.

But thensomething happened that made him change his mind (see 1:23 ff.).Evidently the rumor starts to circulate that Paul's heart isdivided. YES, he loves them and wants to see them and bless them.But NO, maybe not as much as he loves his own convenience or someother church.

Is Paul's heart YES and NO toward theCorinthians?

He answers passionately in verses 17–18: “Was I vacillating whenI wanted to do this? Do I make my plans a worldly man, readyto say Yes and No at once? As surely as God is faithful, our wordto you has not been Yes and No.”

In other words, our planning and our preaching are not fickle;they are not double minded; they are unified; they are YES to you.We live for your good. We are for you and not against you. Our lifeand ministry is a resounding YES, YES, YES! Yes to your joy! Yes toyour holiness! Yes to your faith and hope and love and peace andpower!

And then in verses 19 and 20 Paul shows why his own life is YESto the Corinthians: namely, because God has spoken his finaldecisive YES to them in Christ.

(19) For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always YES. [Literally: “The (decisive) YES has happened in him”—God's heart is not divided in Christ. Christ means YES!] (20a) For all the promises of God find their YES in him.

So Paul is saying: My heart is not divided toward you becauseGod's heart is not divided toward you.

Is this promisein my account? Yes. Is this blessing in my account? Yes. Yes. Yes.Yes. All the promises of God are YES in Christ.

God's Heart Toward Those in Christ

In Galatians 3:29 Paul wrote, “If you are Christ's then you areAbraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.” (See Ephesians 3:6;Galatians 3:14, 22; Hebrews 9:15; Romans 15:8.) All the promises of God forthe good of his people focus in Christ. He confirms them andsecures them and, as it were, purchases them for all who belong tohim—for all who believe (Galatians 3:22).

Every sinner who comesto God in Christ, with all his needs, finds God coming to him inChrist, with all his promises. When a sinful person meets the holyGod IN CHRIST, what he hears is YES. Do you love me? YES. Will youforgive me? YES. Will you accept me? YES. YES. Will you help mechange? YES. Will you give me power to serve you? YES. Will youkeep me? YES. Will you show me your glory? YES.

All the promises of God—all the blessings of God in theheavenly places—are YES in Christ Jesus. Jesus is God'sdecisive YES to all who believe.

The Challenge and Connection to Prayer

Now comes the great challenge and the connection between allthis and prayer. Verse 20b: “That is why [or: therefore; so] weutter the Amen though him, to the glory of God [literally: to Godfor (his) glory].”

Verse 20b explains why the Christian church says “Amen.” It's aword taken over into Greek from Hebrew where it meant a very strongaffirmation (Numbers 5:22; Nehemiah 5:13; 8:6)—a formal, solemn,earnest “I agree,” or “I affirm what you just said,” or “This istrue.” Most simply AMEN means a very earnest YES in the context ofaddressing God.

Now notice the connection between the two halves of verse 20.The first half says, “For all the promises of God find their YES inhim.” The second half says, “That is why we utter the Amen throughhim, to God for his glory.

” When you realize that AMEN and YES meanthe same thing, here's what the verse means: In Jesus Christ Godsays his YES, his AMEN, to us through his promises; and in Christwe say our YES, our AMEN, back to God, through prayer.

Four Observations About Prayer

Notice four things about prayer in verse 20.

1. Prayer Is Through Jesus

Verse 20b: “That is why we utter theAMEN through him . . . ” God's YES comes to us in Christ accordingto verse 20a (“All the promises of God find their YES in him.

“) Soif God's YES comes to us in Christ, then prayer must go to Godthrough Christ, because nobody wants to hear a NO. Everybody wantsto hear a yes when they pray, and that is what we hear in Christ,and nowhere else.

This is what we mean when we say, “In Jesus'name,” at the end of our prayers.

2. Prayer Is for God's Glory

Verse 20b: “That is why we utterthe Amen though him, to God for [his] glory.” Amen is the greataffirmation that God is the Giver and we are the needy. Amenaffirms God's grace and goodness and power and wisdom to respond inthe very best way for his glory and for our good. All prayer shouldhave the glory of God as its chief aim. Amen is our YES to theglory of God.

3. Prayer Is Laying Hold onto Promises

Prayer is drawing on theaccount where God has deposited all hispromises. Prayer is nothoping in the dark that there might be a God of good intentions outthere. Prayer goes to the bank and draws on promises.

Don't missthe connection between the two halves of the verse: “All thepromises of God find their YES in him. THAT [because of thepromises!] is why we utter the Amen through him, to God for hisglory.

” Which leads to . . .

4. AMEN Is a Full and Precious Word in Times of Prayer

Itdoesn't mean primarily, “YES, I have said all this prayer.” Itmeans primarily, “YES, God has made all these promises.” AMENmeans, YES, Lord, you can do it. It means, YES, Lord, you arepowerful.

YES, Lord, you are wise. YES, Lord, you are merciful.AMEN is an exclamation point of faith in a prayer for help. Oran exclamation point of strong affirmation after a statement ofGod's greatness.

As you come to the end of every prayer there are two AMEN's, twoYES's. When you say, “In Jesus' name,” that is God's AMEN. All hispromises are YES and AMEN in Jesus: Jesus Christ is God's YES andAMEN at the end of your prayer. Then when you say, “AMEN,” this isyour YES and AMEN back to God for his. AMEN is our YES to God forhis YES to us in Jesus Christ.

Have You Said Yes to All of God's Yes to You?

Which brings us back to the question we raised at the beginning:Are you living in the fullest enjoyment of God's YES to you inChrist Jesus? Have you said YES to all of God's YES to you? Isthere any of God's YES to you to which you are saying NO or MAYBEor NOT NOW?

I plead with you to let your consecration to God at thebeginning of the 1990s be this: “O Lord, I promise that by yourgrace this will be the decade of my YES to you.

I consecrate myselfto forsake the NO and the MAYBE and the NOT NOW of my unbelief. AndI say YES to everything in your YES to me.

I pledge myself to aholy dissatisfaction until I have known the fullness of your YES inChrist Jesus.”

We begin the decade with a week of prayer. Let me mention thetimes for you to consider.

1. Starting tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM we will pray each morning Monday through Friday at 7:00 AM in the chapel for 30 minutes. You can consecrate every day of the first week of the decade with united prayer.
2. On Wednesday evening at 7:00 we will meet for an hour and a half in a concert of prayer focusing on the spiritual and social needs of our city and the cities of the world. Here in this room. You can consecrate yourself in this way to a larger vision than just your own personal needs.
3. On Friday at 10:00 PM we begin a powerful night of going hard after God in prayer for eight hours. I believe much of the blessing we have known over the past ten years together is owing to God's calling us to nights of prayer and meeting us there in significant ways.
4. The Fireside Room will be set up for Personal Prayer Retreats. You can get into the church and use the room Tuesday through Saturday from 7 AM to 9 PM.
5. Finally, we have ordered 150 copies of Ablaze for God. I hope we sell them all (they are $7.00). We chose this because it does just that: it makes the heart blaze with a passion for prayer. Consecrate your mind to God with a time of reading about prayer and power this week and in the weeks to come.

Would you pray for the pastoral and ministerial staff as we takea three-day retreat for prayer and fasting and planning Tuesdaythrough Thursday? We will come in for the Wednesday evening Concertof Prayer, but besides that, we will be in prayer and study andplanning all that time. We are seeking from the Lord focus andgoals for the 1990s. It is utterly crucial that you cover us withyour prayer all day. We really want to meet God, and seek his heartfor our church and our mission in this city and the world for thenext ten years.

I close with the question once more: Are you living in thefullest enjoyment of God's YES to you in Christ Jesus? Have yousaid YES and AMEN to all the promises of God? Would you join us inthe first week of the last decade of the last century of themillennium for an extraordinary time of consecration as we say YESto all God's promises in prayer?

Источник: //www.desiringgod.org/messages/all-the-promises-of-god-are-yes-in-christ

25 Powerful Prayers for Peace of Mind, Comfort and Understanding

When you are left feeling lost or confused, seeking a clear mind from the Lord can put you on a path of understanding. These powerful prayers for peace of mind, comfort, and understanding will help you to find clarity.

Prayer #1

God, who is more than we can ever comprehend, help us to seek you,

and you alone.

Help us to stand before all that we could do and seek what you would do, and do that. Lift from us our need to achieve all that we can be and instead, surrender to what you can be in us. Give us ways to refrain from the busyness that will put us on edge and off center,

give us today your peace.

Amen.

Prayer #2

Holy and perfect God, you know I want to be available. Help that desire sink deeply enough into my being for me to actually change and to say “no” to a least one worthy, but not urgent, task today. Give me the ability to be open to the life I am leading;

not the one I am planning to lead.

Amen.

Prayer #3

Almighty God, We bless you for our lives, we give you praise for your abundant mercy and grace we receive. We thank you for your faithfulness even though we are not that faithful to you. Lord Jesus, we ask you to give us all around peace in our mind, body, soul and spirit. We want you to heal and remove everything that is

causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives.

Please guide our path through life and make our enemies be at peace with us. Let your peace reign in our family,

at our place of work, businesses and everything we lay our hands on.

Let your angels of peace go ahead of us when we go out
and stay by our side when we return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayer #4

Lord, please put Your peace in my heart. I’m worried and anxious. My mind races and obsesses. I can’t help thinking about my problems. And the more I think about them, the more depressed I become. I feel I’m sinking down in quicksand and can’t get out. Calm me, Lord.

Slow me down, put Your peace in my heart.

No matter what problem I have, Lord, You are bigger, You are more powerful than it is. So I bring my problem to You. I know what I want. I know my will. I do not know Yours. I do not know how You will use this problem for my salvation. I do not know what good You will workout from this evil. But I trust You. I trust Your goodness and Your wisdom. So I place myself in Your hands.

Please fill my heart with peace.

Amen.

Prayer #5

Loving God, please grant me peace of mind and calm my troubled heart. My soul is a turbulent sea. I can’t seem to find my balance so I stumble and worry constantly.

Give me the strength and clarity of mind to find my purpose and walk the path you’ve laid out for me. I trust your Love God, and know that you will heal this stress. Just as the sun rises each day against the dark of night.

Please bring me clarity with the light of God.
In your name I pray,

Amen.

Prayer #6

Oh Lord, sometimes my insides feel a battle zone, where missiles are falling too close to home. Other times I’m caught in an endless storm, with thoughts flying control.

Confusion reigns, and defeat creeps in to steal my joy. I need your peace—the deep-down-in-your-heart kind that stays with me day and night and speaks confidently into the wind.

Calm my anxious spirit, Lord; all the attacking “if-onlys” and “what-ifs” fill me with needless worry.

Whether in trivial or heavy matters, I know you will not only give me peace; Lord, you will be my peace.

And when I draw close to you—in prayer, in reading your Word, in helping another, in taking my mind off myself—you will be there, up close and personal.

I can’t handle these times alone, Lord. Will you speak peace and calm my storms, or hold my hand while we walk through them together? Will you bring the reassuring wisdom of those who have come through similar times into my life? Thank you, Lord. I’m trusting you.

In the name of the One who makes the wind and the waves stand still, Amen.

Prayer #7

Lord, I come before you ready to pour out my worries, anxieties and fears at Your feet. I am claiming and declaring Your promises for blessings of peace and strength over my life. Bring a peace into my soul that passes all worldly understanding and make me a light for others to see Your strength.

Prayer #8

Heavenly Father, please grant me peace of mind and calm my troubled heart. My soul is a turbulent sea. I can’t seem to find my balance so I stumble and worry constantly. Give me the strength and clarity of mind to find my purpose and walk the path you’ve laid out for me. I trust your Love God, and know that you will heal this stress. Just as the sun rises each day against the dark of

night. Please bring me clarity with the light of God.

In your name I pray, Amen.

Prayer #9

Almighty God, We bless you for our lives, we give you praise for your abundant mercy and grace we receive. We thank you for your faithfulness even though we are not that faithful to you. Lord Jesus, we ask you to give us all around peace in our mind, body, soul and spirit. We want you to heal and remove everything that is

causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives.

Prayer #10

Lord, Lead me into the valley of your protection.

May I feel safe and secure sheltered there.

Lead me to drink from streams of life.
May I find hope and healing in the waters.

Lead me to fields of green meadows.
May I rest in quiet places on the softness of your grass.

Lead me into the light of your eternal truth.
May I bathe in the promise of heaven.

Amen.

Prayer #11

O God

I focus on Your resurrection love a soft bed of grace,

I choose to lie down here.

I feel the peace You have sown into my heart,

I choose to linger here.

I drink in Your eternal love Thank you I am clothed forgiveness.

I choose always, to live here.

Amen.

Prayer #12

Lord, bless our family May we be a beautiful garden for you. Help us to live in harmony, to provide support to each other when needed and at other times space for each of us to grow.

Help us to take the time to receive the warmth of your grace in our lives and to drink from the water of life daily. Guide us as we live our lives to have the right balance of work, rest and play.

May we be healthy, contented and giving in all that we do.

Create in us an oasis of love and hope that others can rest within and enjoy.

Amen.

Prayer #13

Father, right now we speak to the roots of fear, which are guilt, shame and condemnation. By the blood of your son Jesus Christ, we have been forgiven of all sins, past, present and future! We are forgiven in your sight.

Prayer #14

We denounce the lies of the enemy that accuse us that we are not right in your sight. Because of the blood of Jesus, we can be fully confident to come boldly into your presence, not in our own righteousness, but in the righteousness of your son.

Prayer #15

We confess and believe in your word, where you said there is therefore now, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. So we renounce those lies. We put our faith in the blood of Jesus, to know that we are not guilty, not broken and not condemned by you!

Prayer #16

I become quiet and focused on the Spirit of God. Alone with the presence of God, I feel a great serenity. I rediscover how refreshing it feels to be calm and at peace. I feel as if waves of peace are washing over me and clearing away any tenseness and anxiety. I know that I am eternally one with God.

In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.

Prayer #17

Dear God I ask for peace of mind. I pray that I am calm, collected and tranquil at all times today. I rest and relax in your presence. I let go of all anxious thoughts. I stop rushing and start praying. I let go and I let God. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.

Prayer #18

Heavenly Father, Our house is a place where we welcome you. We give you freedom here. Dwell within our family, may we feel you near. Laugh with us, and dine with us, we listen out for you. And when we sleep watch over us, we give ourselves to you. We greet you every morning, we wake with you each day. Please fill this home with heavens peace and lead our hearts to pray.

Amen.

Prayer #19

Precious Lord, I give you praise for your abundant mercy and grace in all things. I want to thank you for your faithfulness even though at times of fall short in this life. Please grant me peace in my mind, body, soul and spirit. I ask that You heal and remove everything that is causing stress, grief, and sorrow in my life.

Please guide my path through life, and make my enemies be at peace with who I am, for I am Your child. Let your peace reign within our family, at my place of work, businesses and everything I lay my hands on.
I ask these things in your name, Amen.

Prayer #20

Father, please grant me peace of mind, and calm my troubled heart. My soul is so uneasy. I can’t seem to find my balance, so I stumble and worry constantly.

Give me the strength and clarity of mind to find my purpose and walk the path You’ve laid out for me. I trust Your love, and know that you will heal this stress that I just can’t seem to shake.

Just as the sun rises each day against the dark of night, please bring me clarity with the light of the Holy Father. Amen

Prayer #21

Heavenly Father, grant me peace of mind and calm my troubled heart. My soul is a turbulent sea. I can’t seem to find my balance so I stumble and worry constantly.

Give me the strength and clarity of mind to find my purpose and walk the path you’ve laid out for me. I trust your Love God, and know that you will help me this darkness.

Just as the sun rises each day against the dark of night. Please bring me clarity with the light of God.

In your name I pray. Amen

Prayer #22

Lord send me hope. There are times when I feel helpless and weak. I want a better future and life but I can’t see it. I need love and kindness.

The sky is at its darkest just before the light. I pray that this is true, for all seems dark. I need your light, Lord, in every way.

I pray to be filled with your light from head to toe. To bask in your glory. To know that all is right in the world, as you have planned, and as you want it to be. Amen.

Prayer #23

Lord, I reach out to you for your guidance. Please show me which way to turn. Calm my anxious thoughts, come speak into my mind. Strengthen me as I falter and feel weary. May I feel strength rising up within my heart. Bring clarity into my visions and dreams. I trust that you are with me, no matter where I go, Or what I decide to do.

You journey with me always.

Amen.

Prayer #24

As I go to work, Be with me Lord. Be the patience when I’m frustrated. Be the endurance when I am tired. Be the wisdom when I am uncertain. Be the inspiration when I’m ideas. Be the peacemaker when I feel hurt. Be the comforter when I feel overwhelmed. Be the energy when I am weary. Be the guide when I am confused. Be the forgiver when I get it wrong.

Be with me Lord, today.

Prayer #25

Lord God,

You promise the peace of a still lake Even in the midst of a storm. You promise the peace of a slumbering child Even in the middle of tension and disagreement.

You promise the peace of a poppy field Even in the place of heartbreak and devastation. Your promise is a peace that surpasses our human understanding.

So I choose to rest by the still waters, to lie down and rest amongst the poppies.

Your resurrection declared peace over trauma, power over death, and life everlasting.

I trust in you.

Here is a great video that will show you how to have peace of mind no matter the severity of the situation you are currently experiencing.

About the Author of this Blog Post
Crystal Ayres has served as our editor-in-chief for the last five years. She is a proud veteran, wife and mother. The goal of ConnectUs is to publish compelling content that addresses some of the biggest issues the world faces. If you would to reach out to contact Crystal, then go here to send her a message.

Источник: //connectusfund.org/25-powerful-prayers-for-peace-of-mind-comfort-and-understanding