August 25 Prayer (The Peace of Chasing After God)

Sitting in a coffee shop with a friend that I haven’t seen in ages talking about life when she dropped the sensitive topic bomb on me. Instantly, I felt my body tense up. She and I don’t have perfect matching opinions on things, and despite that, we have always kept our friendship intact. Event still, the peace of the moment was gone. It’s a knee jerk reaction to the way things can feel in any faith-based circle. There is an expectation of black and white rules with no gray area. It can lead to some heated arguments that can cause rifts between family and friends that may never heal. 

It all starts with discord. The enemy loves to sow it in our lives and relationships ad nauseum. Most of the time we left the proverbial door wide open for him to barge in and start breaking windows and trashing our peace. Hebrews 12:14 says, Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise, you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. (Message Bible) The instruction here seems easy enough and yet, it is so easy for us to allow the world to complicate the simplicity in how Christ called us to live. 

Becoming someone who chases after God, I have relentlessly sought that peace that surpasses all understanding. At times, I have felt as if it’s a myth but I never stopped seeking it. Discord and conflict are something the enemy uses to sow seeds of bitterness and discontent in every area of life. If you look further down to Hebrews 12 verse 15, you will see that there is a little more to what God is telling us to do. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. 

How often do we make judgments as to who deserves blessings?  I don’t know about you, but I make daily mistakes making me totally unqualified to make judgements about anyone. What about when we decide to leave people out and exclude them because they don’t fit the “Christian” mold? All too often, my tattoos have made me an outcast. How can we seek God’s peace when we are holding in our hands the very stones Jesus told us NOT to throw unless we could claim to be without sin?

Peace is a choice. Choosing Christ means letting go of the ways the world seeks to divide us. Division and discord steal peace. That friend that I mentioned, looked over at me and could see our conversation struck a sensitive spot (it’s not difficult to read me). “Don’t worry, I’m not looking for a debate. Just sharing the sad in my heart over the story.” This response is why our friendship has lasted for more than a decade. We choose to work at getting along. We love as Christ loved and that, my fellow Christ followers, is where peace begins.