Peace

Peace is mentioned in the Bible over 400 times, and in most cases it has to do with divine revelation. Peace is what our hearts yearn for; we can rest in the assurance that when we are at peace we can get through any trial.

In my personal experience, whenever I’m confronted with a dire situation my first reaction is to panic. After a few minutes I gather my crazy thoughts and submit them to prayer.  Prayer always reverses the panic and calms my spirit. Aside from that, prayer changes everything, and trusting in God will bring peace.

We have all been  given the same tools to get through our spiritual battles, but until we surrender all to God, we will struggle to attain peace.

Surrendering

How do we surrender? When our prayers are not immediately answered, many of us resort to impatience.  Surrendering all to God is complicated because we, out of habit, take things into our own hands and start to worry about the problem again. Not trusting God during our storms opens the door to fear. Once fear creeps in, we begin to believe that God does not hear our pleas. All this self- talk leads to another level of despair. Fear and despair make a perfect potion for self-pity. With self-pity we view ourselves as victims.

Out Of God’s Realm

A victim mentality is exactly where the Enemy wants you. Yes, you pray, you cry out to God but deep down you are too weak to surrender. Why? You did not surrender all your burdens to the Lord because you lack trust.

Learn From The Master 

When Jesus was with His disciples on the Sea of Galilee a violent storm engulfed the waters. The disciples were filled with fear and thought they would all die. What was Jesus doing at this time? He was peacefully asleep. Jesus was calm in all the storms of His life because He was in the constant presence of God in prayer. Nothing could break His peace. Not even the Crucifixion robbed Him of His peace.

Lauren and Sylvia

Lauren and Sylvia are two young women who are in the midst of a storm; both are suffering from cancer. As I prayed for these two women I ask that God would strengthen their family members so they could continue to battle on their behalf. I am praying for a miracle. I know that many are coming alongside them, petitioning for the same thing. These types of storms are teaching us to travail and to have faith and trust God.

The doctors’ reports are just another reason for us to pray. If the report is negative, we continue to bombard heaven. In the battlefield, we wait for our commander Jesus to direct our prayers. We never give up until we hear from God. I pray for Lauren and Sylvia to experience the presence of God and to have peace during this horrendous trial.

My Sister Jo

About a month ago my sister was having two procedures done. One of the surgeries was a full hysterectomy. I was concerned about this because these surgeries combined were going to take six hours. Pleading with Jo I said, “Why, can’t you do these procedures separately?” She replied, “No, I want it over with! Then I thought that maybe she should have a partial hysterectomy. Needless to say, I was concerned. I prayed about it and on the day of her surgery I offered up my communion on her behalf.

The Surgeries

I was in contact with her oldest son, Frank, calling him for updates. Finally after  the two procedures her doctors said the surgeries were successful . The following week Jo received a call from one of the doctors. He informed her that she had developed  first stage cancer. The doctor went on to explain that it was a good thing that she had decided on a total hysterectomy; otherwise the cancer would not have been detected.

The Lord knows everything, and He put it in my sister’s heart to proceed with what I believed was an unnecessary surgery. I praise God that this cancer was found and removed. During this entire time my sister had peace about her surgeries; nothing was going to deter her decision.

Amiee

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine approached me after Mass. She was in tears as she asked me to pray for her daughter Amiee. Through a routine examination cancer was found and she was scheduled to get further testing to see how far the cancer had spread. My friend said that Amiee did not want to share any news with her children until the results of the tests were available. I prayed so hard for Amiee’s healing, and I know her family was waging war on the same battlefield.

The following week I looked for my friend after Mass and asked about the tests. With tears of joy she announced, “The doctors could not find a trace of cancer!” We hugged and praised the Lord for this victory.

I see my friend at daily Mass.  We both share the same thoughts about being under the covering of a God-fearing church; this offers us peace. And receiving communion on a regular basis amplifies our inner peace.

Attaining Peace 

I have mentioned this on several of my Blogs: we all need a covering. My covering is the Catholic church. I know where to go when my life gets out of whack, or when I have fallen short and have sinned.  Through my fellowship with God and the Eucharist, I can survive all that the Enemy throws my way. Whenever I feel guilty about something that I’ve said, the Holy Spirit immediately convicts me and my conscience becomes unsettled. If I cannot shake off the bad feelings, I go to confession. But for the most part receiving communion frees me from the guilt.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I continue to pray for Lauren and Sylvia because I know that You hold them in the palm of Your Holy Hand. Comfort them and give them a supernatural dose of peace during their trial.

As we gather together as a family during this Thanksgiving and Christmas season, grant us peace to get along with our families. May we not only open our homes but our hearts as well, offering love and peace.

Lord, we need peace in this world that is filled with hatred and anger. Send Your healing angels throughout the corners of the world to bring peace. Change the hearts of those who oppose the Word of God. Annihilate the plans of the Enemy and destroy all of his strategies to do evil. Amen.