Praying the Scriptures: Prayer for Peace

Peace.

It’s what we long for perhaps more than anything else.

Peace with God. Peace with who we are. Peace in our marriages and in our homes. Peace in our workplaces and peace in the world.

Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking that everything would be great if we could just find peace in this broken, messy place called planet Earth.

What I forget too easily is that this world will never be at peace. Because until the final spiritual battle is won, God’s enemy will always be on the prowl. Always wreaking havoc. Always creating discord and hatred and evil.

The good news is, for Christ-followers, personal peace is not contingent on our circumstances. It does not depend on the attitudes of other people, and it does not hinge on international affairs.

Peace comes from God through Jesus Christ.

So instead of pining for this hazy utopian ideal we call “peace,” we should choose instead to abide in the Source of peace.

To press into Him. To search for Him. To turn to Him.

To choose Him.

For He Himself is our peace.

Will you come with me, seeking His face together, and praying the Scriptures for peace?

Prayer for Peace

Praise God for His written Word, through which He reveals how to have peace. Thank Jesus for preparing you ahead of time for the tribulation you will have in the world, and for His assured victory over the world (John 16:33). Ask Him to impress this truth on your heart, that you might cling to His promise when you’re tempted to worry.

Ask God to help you fix your mind on trusting Him. Claim His promise to keep you in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).

Pray that the God of hope would fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13).

Acknowledge to the Lord that setting your mind on fleshly things is death, but setting your mind on the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6). Ask Him to enable you to keep making this hard choice day by day, moment by moment.

Praise the Lord who has compassion on you for His promise that even if the mountains depart and the hills are removed, His steadfast love shall not depart from you, and His covenant of peace shall not be removed (Isaiah 54:10).

Remind God of His promise that those who love His Word will have great peace and that nothing can make them stumble (Psalm 119:165). Ask Him to give you a love for the Scriptures that makes this promise available to you.

Pray that God would help you to walk in sound wisdom and discretion, for they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck. Thank the Lord for His assurance of walking securely and sleeping peacefully (Proverbs 3:21-24).

Ask the Lord keep you from worrying about anything, and to help you present every request to Him through prayer, with thanksgiving. Claim His promised peace which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).

Dear Heavenly Father, when I look at the circumstances of my life and at the world around me, there are many reasons to worry. Many reasons to fear. Many reasons for unrest. But when I look at You, all else fades away. When I remember Your unfailing love, Your unsurpassed wisdom, Your unending goodness, and Your unequaled power, I can’t help but be at peace with this God on my side. It’s in the name of my Savior and Source of peace, Jesus Christ, that I pray. Amen.