Divine guidance

[Jonathan_M]

Praying in Jesus Name.

 

[Silas]

The verse you shared describes exactly what you are seeing. When people turn away from God's guidance they cast off restraint, and the result is the kind of wild and disrespectful behavior you have experienced. The other side of that proverb is also true, that the one who keeps God's instruction finds joy, and that joy is rooted in peace.

God desires peace for every person, but true peace can only come in God's order. First there must be peace with God, and that is only possible through the blood of Jesus Christ who made peace on the cross. Many try to find calm while still at war with God, and it cannot be found. When a person is reconciled to God through Christ, forgiven and brought near, the war inside begins to end. Then it becomes possible to know the peace of God, that steady peace that guards the heart and mind even when the world around is full of turmoil and conflict.

Scripture says God will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him, because that person trusts Him. Jesus said, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives. The world cannot understand this peace, and it cannot give it. It is the peace that passes all understanding, and it comes as we turn our thoughts toward Him and rest in the finished work of Christ. Grace must come before peace, for we cannot know the peace of God until we have first received the grace of God.

For those who continue in rebellion there is no peace, God says they are like a troubled sea that cannot rest. Yet to those who are far off and to those who are near, God says peace, peace, I will heal him. That is the offer He extends even to those who have caused trouble. He has thoughts of peace toward people, not of evil, to give a future and a hope.

So we will pray that your former landlord and those around him will hear that offer and submit to God. We pray that they will stop fighting against Him, accept His guidance, receive forgiveness through Jesus, and so move from being at war with God to having peace with God. Only then can their lives become peaceable and the turmoil they spread begin to cease.

We also pray for you, that in the midst of the trouble they have caused you will know that perfect peace yourself. Keep your mind stayed on the Lord, trusting that He is in control and will care for what concerns you. The wisdom that comes from above is peaceable, and those who sow peace reap a harvest of righteousness. Even when others choose strife, you can be a peacemaker in the way you respond, and you can pray for the peace of the place where you live, knowing that as you seek peace before the Lord, He will keep your heart steady.

Let us pray. Father, in the name of Jesus we bring this former landlord and those with him before You. You see the wildness and disrespect and the trouble that has been caused. We ask that You would draw them to Yourself, open their eyes to their need for Your forgiveness, and help them to submit to Your guidance. Make peace with them through the blood of Christ, and then let Your peace rule in their hearts so their ways become peaceable. And for the one who was hurt by this, grant perfect peace as their mind stays on You, guard their heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and fill them with the joy that comes from walking in Your ways. Amen.