Over the past several months, we often met as a church community on a Wednesday to pray together. As meetups have started, and many of us are now meeting regularly to study Ephesians together, we are no longer meeting together as a church to pray. This doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop praying! So over here on the blog we’re starting a new series on Wednesdays, giving you a few ideas of what you could be praying for today and for the rest of this week.

Today we’re praying for…..

Peace

The last couple of Wednesday Prayer blogs have focused on a specific group of people, or area of church life. Today we are focusing on a broader concept, which though it may be more of an unorthodox focus for a blog like this, is still something which it is important to pray for.

I am sure it will not come as a surprise to hear that when we choose to follow Jesus, he gives us no guarantee that our lives will suddenly become easier! Even if you were thinking that going in, if you are someone who has been a follower of Jesus for any length of time, you will now have realised that it is not the case. Though Jesus does not promise us an easy life once we choose to follow him, he does promise that the way we deal with the situations of life will change.

He speaks to this directly in Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

That brings us to our topic of prayer for today, despite the fact that we may feel weary and burdened, we are called to come to Jesus, seeking peace.  

Below are some ways you can focus your prayers on peace today.

Pray for diplomatic peace, across the UK and the nations.
We are in a time of global turmoil in many different ways, and this is putting pressure on political leaders and governments across the world. Please pray at this time for wisdom to prevail, for the Holy Spirit to be at work amongst our political leaders, and that we as the people of God might honour him in the way that we respond to the actions of politicians.
Pray for peace within our communities.
London is a diverse city full of people of different nationalities, classes, and religions. These are some of the reasons it is such an incredible city in which to live, however in times of pressure these differences can result in tension within communities. Pray that during this time we would be ministers of peace in our local communities, and that those who live around us would take this opportunity to build bridges rather than walls, and embrace that which unites us rather than focus on what could divide us.
Pray for peace in our homes.
As we experience tighter lockdown restrictions, we are spending more and more time at home, and therefore more and more time in close proximity with those we live with. However much we love spending time with those we love, we all know that concentrated time with others can lead to a less than peaceful environment! Pray for peace in your home, that the Holy Spirit would be present and obvious in the conversations we have and our interactions with one another, especially on the difficult days!
Pray for the peace of God to be present in YOU.
For this final point, I’ll defer to the apostle Paul.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Amen.