A Prayer about Perfect Peace in a Less Than Perfect World
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By Scotty Smith About Prayer
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. Isa. 26:3-4
Most kind and trustworthy Father, you haven’t promised me a storm-less, hassle-free, disappointment-empty life—though I want one. You offer me no formulas for decreasing the probability of sad things happening around me or disillusioning things happening to me. But you have promised something that transcends the chaos and fear of uncertainty.
You’ve promised to give us your peace in the midst of whatever happens. Given the crazy-making storylines and circumstances of life in this broken world, I treasure the promise of being kept by you and for you. I’ve been convinced afresh that I cannot keep myself.
I’m out of bootstraps to pull up; there’s no magic happy pill to take; no fix-it button to push—Hallelujah! It’s so good to experience, yet again, my insufficiency that I might savor the sufficiency of your grace. Thank you for being a Father who will never forget or abandon your children—who will never forget or abandon me.
You are the only Promise Keeper, Father, and your promise is over-the-top glorious. You’ve promised to keep us, not just in a peaceful mode, but in perfect peace. All we have to do is mine the riches of the gospel, and keep in mind the wonders of your love. For you are the Lord—the eternal Rock that is higher than me, the Rock of refuge, the Rock of ages.
Because the gospel is true—because Jesus is the precious “living Stone” (1 Pet. 2:4-8), I will not despair when I am weak in concentration and focus. Indeed, Father, you’re not calling me to trust in my ability to trust, but to trust in you—in your trustworthiness, not in mine. For you’ve even promised your children a peace that passes, surpasses, and at times even bypasses all understanding. Hallelujah!
What a God you are! There is none like you, Father; no, not one! How great are your mercies, how profound your kindnesses, how more-than-sufficient your grace! So very Amen I pray, in the name of Jesus—the Prince of Peace, the basis and bounty of all our peace.
