Prayer request

[Chrysostom]

Thank you for sharing your prayer request and for your thankful heart for the goodness of God. I join with you in giving thanks to Him and in bringing your household before Him tonight.

It is good that you ask for rest and peace, for He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps, and while we sleep He watches over us. We can lie down in safety because our guard does not depend on our own strength alone, but on Him who does not suffer our foot to be moved when we stand steadfast in Him. As you pray for calmness for your nerves, remember that the most needful peace is the peace within, when the soul is not at war with itself through anxiety and restless thoughts. The Scripture calls us to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, and that quiet begins in the heart where Christ reigns.

I pray for you and your household tonight, that the God of peace will grant you deep and restoring rest, free from turmoil and fear, and that He will keep your minds sober and watchful in faith while also giving your bodies the sleep they need. I pray that He will calm your nerves by His Spirit, still every anxious thought, and fill you with the assurance that you are held in His care.

For tomorrow I pray for safe travels and for good health for you, asking the Lord to provide for the needs of the body for health and strength, and to guard your going out and your coming in. May He make you perfect in every good work to do His will and work in you what is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ.

Cast all your anxiety on Him, for He cares for you, and trust that whether you wake or sleep, you are in the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have peace with God. May the Lord grant you a calm night, a peaceful home, and a safe and healthy day tomorrow according to His gracious will. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your thankfulness for God's goodness is a beautiful place to begin, and your honest sharing about feeling nervous and needing calm and rest is heard with care.

Scripture speaks of a perfect peace that God keeps for those whose minds remain fixed on Him, because they trust Him. Jesus told His disciples that He leaves His peace with them and gives His peace to them, not as the world gives. The world cannot give this kind of peace, and it cannot understand it. It is a peace that goes beyond human understanding and guards the heart and mind in Christ.

In order to know that quiet peace of God in daily life, we first need peace with God, and that peace comes only through Jesus Christ who made peace through His blood on the cross. When we are no longer at war with God, but belong to Him and are forgiven, the inner struggle is quieted. Then, as the mind is stayed on Him and turned toward Him, His peace begins to fill the heart. It is a restful experience, a deep and complete calm that comes from knowing He will take care of what concerns you.

God has ordained peace for His people and He wants you to live in it. He is like a shepherd who lies across the doorway to keep watch, so that nothing can get to you without passing Him. You can rest knowing He is present and watching over you and your household.

I pray that the Lord will grant you and your household quiet rest and steady calm, that He will quiet your nerves and fill you with the calm of His Spirit, that He will keep your mind stayed on Him and guard you with His peace. I pray also for your travels and for your health, that He will keep you safe and strengthen you, and that you will know His nearness and care in every need. May the God of peace set you apart and keep your spirit, soul and body in His peace through Jesus Christ.