Run After Peace …
“Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.” (1 Peter 3:10-12, MSG)
The above is what I read in my Bible this morning. Many of the words and phrases jumped out at me and tugged at my heart. But the one that I focused on was the phrase, “…run after peace for all you’re worth.” I wrote a short, six word prayer in my journal saying, how do I do that, Lord? After being quiet and still for a few moments, my eyes began to gaze at some phrases I had double-underlined in my Bible, from 1 Peter 3 & 4 from The Message. I felt God was saying to my heart that the way “I run after peace” is by focusing on and believing the truth that He is telling me and thereby silencing the many negative voices in my head. Here are just a few of the things I felt He was telling me to focus on:
Truth:
- God is standing right alongside me
- He has the last word
- He loves me
- He is always on the job/always working; I am to never doubt that
- I am to take everything in stride and trust Him
- He knows what He is doing
I love the last two points the best. I am to take everything in stride (that is not something that comes natural to me) and trust Him because He knows what He is doing! As I choose to focus on and believe the truth of these words spoken to my heart, I will have peace and more enjoy the gift of today and then I will be more of a blessing to those around me!
What about you? Do you have peace today? Are you “running after peace for all you’re worth”? What would that look like for you? Seek His face and His voice and “listen and respond” to what He whispers to your heart. It will be worth it! And whatever may be troubling you today, know that you can trust God! He loves you! He is working things out! He knows what He is doing! Have a blessed day, beautiful daughter of the King!
Always Pray & Don’t Give Up
This little book is a profound demonstration of God’s power and of true faith in action. It is a guidebook for learning how to pray Scripture, filled with eighty-nine weekly Prayer Sheets for your marriage — eighty-nine pages of power that will change your life and the lives of all those around you, as you too learn to always pray and not give Up!
Testimonials
“Praying Scripture is the most powerful and effective way to pray for your marriage. It can be a daunting task to search out all the passages that apply, though. In this book, Tammy has done the hard work for us in compiling a beautiful arrangement of God's attributes along with verses to pray for myself, as a wife, and verses to pray over my husband and marriage. The Lord has used many of these passages to bear fruit in my own life and marriage."
Mariel Davenport , Author
Knowing God Through His Names
A Housewife Desperate for God
“Tammy Rentsch is passionate about prayer. She prays faithfully and frequently. She is also committed to loving her spouse enough to pray for their marriage. Read this book and you will be equipped and encouraged to pray consistently and powerfully for your marriage with the Scriptures as your guide.”
Brian D. Russell
Professor of Biblical Studies
Dean, School of Urban Ministries
Asbury Theological Seminary