7 Prayers That Work

Dear Lord, I'm speaking Your words over my crazy, jumbled life: Peace, be still. I can't calm down on my own, so help me breathe in Your beauty and Your calm. Peace, be still. I can't control the things around me, so give me the courage to stop trying, stop striving, stop worrying. Peace, be still. You guard me, around and before me. You designed me perfectly to carry out Your will. You have marked out my way. So why am I afraid? Peace, be still. I wallow in discouragement and negative thinking, and I turn aside from You, searching so many other places to find motivation, assistance, encouragement, affirmation, and love. Help me hear Your words: Peace, be still. Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? You, Prince of Peace, are the answer. Amen. "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher...

I'm in the middle of a pretty huge decision, regarding someone else's care. I've lost a good bit of sleep over it and spent a lot of time in research and analysis. I've been praying, too, for wisdom and direction. (Lightning bolts would be helpful.) Then Monday afternoon, I made a decision, which I obsessed over Monday night when I should have been sleeping. Tuesday morning I prayed again--this time, for peace, for an answer, and for my own faith to grow. I opened to John 14 because I know that's where Jesus talks to His disciples about peace. They're in the garden, and He knows that Judas Iscariot is showing up any minute to betray Him. He knows that torture, humiliation, and grief will follow. He knows His Father will reject Him, and His mother will weep before Him. Yet He says, "I am leaving you a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give  is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27) The worl...