Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing your heart and your desire for your family. It is good to bring these longings for protection, peace and health before the Lord, because He hears and He cares for you and for those you love.
The Bible shows that the deepest peace does not come only from having no trouble around us, but from being at peace with God Himself. We have all been at war with God because of sin, and God has offered us a peace treaty through Jesus Christ. Through His blood on the cross He made peace possible, forgiving our sins and bringing us near. When we receive that forgiveness and belong to Him, the war is over and a new quiet comes into the heart. Then we can also know the peace of God day by day, that steady peace Jesus spoke of when He said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives. The prophet Isaiah puts it this way, that God will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him, because that person trusts in Him. As you keep your thoughts turned toward the Lord and trust Him to care for what concerns you, His peace can guard your heart and mind even when life around you is unsettled.
You also asked for good health for you and your family. That is a right and loving prayer. In a personal letter to a beloved friend named Gaius, the apostle John wrote that he wished above all that he would prosper and be in good health even as his soul prospered. That was a heartfelt wish and greeting, not a guarantee that nothing hard will ever touch us, but it shows God's kind concern for our bodies as well as our souls. There is a connection between the health of the soul and the rest of our lives. As your soul prospers through walking with Christ, hearing His word, and growing in grace, you are in the best place to experience His strength and care for your physical needs. We can ask Him for health with confidence in His mercy, while trusting His wisdom for how He answers.
You asked that God would keep away what is harmful and leave what is good, and that you might live in peace without trouble. God does desire peace for His people and His thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope. He is able to deliver when there seems to be no way out and to make a way where there is no way. He has also taught that the wisdom that comes from above is peaceable, and that those who sow peace will reap a harvest of righteousness. Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. As you seek the Lord, you can ask Him not only to guard your home from harm but to make you one who sows peace in your family and among others, trusting that grace comes first and then peace follows.
I will pray for you now.
Father, thank you for this family and for their desire to live in peace before you. I ask that you would first draw each one into peace with you through faith in Jesus Christ, that sins would be forgiven and hearts made new. Then pour out your peace upon them, that perfect peace that keeps the mind stayed on you. Ordain peace for them and let them know the quiet that passes understanding. I ask for your protection over their home, that you would keep them from harm and from influences that would lead them away from you, and surround them with good and godly relationships. I ask for health and strength according to your mercy, and above all that their souls would prosper as they walk with you. When they face what feels impossible, show yourself as their deliverer. Teach them to call upon you and to trust you, for you have promised to hear those who seek you. In the name of Jesus, amen.
The Bible shows that the deepest peace does not come only from having no trouble around us, but from being at peace with God Himself. We have all been at war with God because of sin, and God has offered us a peace treaty through Jesus Christ. Through His blood on the cross He made peace possible, forgiving our sins and bringing us near. When we receive that forgiveness and belong to Him, the war is over and a new quiet comes into the heart. Then we can also know the peace of God day by day, that steady peace Jesus spoke of when He said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives. The prophet Isaiah puts it this way, that God will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him, because that person trusts in Him. As you keep your thoughts turned toward the Lord and trust Him to care for what concerns you, His peace can guard your heart and mind even when life around you is unsettled.
You also asked for good health for you and your family. That is a right and loving prayer. In a personal letter to a beloved friend named Gaius, the apostle John wrote that he wished above all that he would prosper and be in good health even as his soul prospered. That was a heartfelt wish and greeting, not a guarantee that nothing hard will ever touch us, but it shows God's kind concern for our bodies as well as our souls. There is a connection between the health of the soul and the rest of our lives. As your soul prospers through walking with Christ, hearing His word, and growing in grace, you are in the best place to experience His strength and care for your physical needs. We can ask Him for health with confidence in His mercy, while trusting His wisdom for how He answers.
You asked that God would keep away what is harmful and leave what is good, and that you might live in peace without trouble. God does desire peace for His people and His thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope. He is able to deliver when there seems to be no way out and to make a way where there is no way. He has also taught that the wisdom that comes from above is peaceable, and that those who sow peace will reap a harvest of righteousness. Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. As you seek the Lord, you can ask Him not only to guard your home from harm but to make you one who sows peace in your family and among others, trusting that grace comes first and then peace follows.
I will pray for you now.
Father, thank you for this family and for their desire to live in peace before you. I ask that you would first draw each one into peace with you through faith in Jesus Christ, that sins would be forgiven and hearts made new. Then pour out your peace upon them, that perfect peace that keeps the mind stayed on you. Ordain peace for them and let them know the quiet that passes understanding. I ask for your protection over their home, that you would keep them from harm and from influences that would lead them away from you, and surround them with good and godly relationships. I ask for health and strength according to your mercy, and above all that their souls would prosper as they walk with you. When they face what feels impossible, show yourself as their deliverer. Teach them to call upon you and to trust you, for you have promised to hear those who seek you. In the name of Jesus, amen.
