Dear readers,
Today I want to talk about peace.
I'm not talking about the kind of peace John Lennon sang about, or the kind of peace pacifists are passionate about. The kind of peace I'd like to write about is the kind that can only be found in the still places.
When I worked at camp, I remember some of the most memorable moments for me were when I'd get up early (about an hour or so before morning staff meeting) and I'd go sit outside, usually on the steps of the boathouse or against the rock climbing wall. Mornings at camp were so quiet and peaceful, and the lake just looked so still. I would take in these moments before the craziness of a camp day began. I found it so easy to connect with God when it was so quiet. I mean, one of the most famous verses from the Bible is Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God."
About two months ago, I had gone back to Cedarwood for a young adults retreat and I woke up at 6AM the first morning of the retreat for some reason, so I decided to do what I used to do, Mind you, this was in March and in Manitoba, so it was still dark outside and I didn't want to go sit outside in the cold and in the dark. I ended up sitting on the steps of the lodge for a while and I watched the sun come up. I experienced the same kind of peace that I had known previously at camp before a hectic day. (I lived in the city for the past two years and let me tell you, peace and quiet in the city is almost non-existent. I really cherished this moment at camp.)
What I have just written about isn't even the kind of peace I wanted to write about, though the two are closely related. Imagine the peace found near the lake at camp and put it on the inside. That's what I want to talk about, the kind of peace you experience on the inside: God's peace.
Have you ever asked people to pray for you in a certain situation that's going on in your life? Whether it be for work, school, family, friends, finances, faith, or relationships. People are always talking about how they want to
see answers to their prayers, or how they
saw their prayers impact someone's life, or how they prayed to
see a change in someone's life. What some fail to remember is that not all answers to prayer are things you can see.
Recently, I had been having a not-so-good day. I was at school in the city and I was feeling weighted down by the pressures of life. My friends and I have a continuous group chat going on our phones and most of the time it's used to send funny pictures or tell stories about our days, but from time to time, we used it as a means to communicate our prayer requests and such to one another. So on this particular day, I sent off a vague request for prayer and my friends responded fairly quickly that they would indeed pray.
Now I know that sometimes when people say they are praying for you, they don't actually pray for you, but I also know that God does not require physically spoken words in order to hear our prayers. Anyway, I knew I was being prayed for one way or another. I had never before in my life actually
felt the difference, but this time I did.
Now, the pressures of life that I was feeling and experiencing before I asked for prayer didn't just magically go away. In fact, it's kind of hard to explain what exactly I felt. This is what I wrote in my journal later that day: "I definitely wasn't all better suddenly, but there was a change. A noticeable change. I wasn't miraculously better, but I felt... lighter. Like I wasn't the only one carrying the load anymore."
What I experienced on my not-so-good day was what I think the peace of God feels like. There's a noticeable calmness or stillness inside that just simple wasn't there before.
After writing all this, I must admit that I'm not entirely sure whether this was more about the peace of God or the internal power of prayer, but I'll leave you off with a few things to chew on:
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. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (1 Peter 5:7)
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (James 5:13,16)
Until next time,
J
P.S. My friends are wonderful, thank you so much for all your prayers.
