Do You Long for Greater Peace? Cherish God’s Voice
Photo by Allison Christine
Peace comes when we listen to God. The voice of fear works against peace, but the voice of God is truth that allows real peace to settle deep in our hearts. His voice is a trustworthy foundation we can stand on, and it will hold us steady in storms.
This week, let’s practice walking in peace by cherishing the Lord’s voice.
1. What is God saying to you about His love? Listening to His love will bring peace to your heart.
I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me,
for I have not forgotten your commands. (Ps. 119:176 NLT)
To have peace in our hearts, we can’t allow the enemy to tell us that God is disappointed or that He’s going to reject us.
Multiple times the Bible talks about the unfailing affection of the Lord toward His people. One place we catch a glimpse of His unfailing affection is Psalm 119:176. Even when we wander away, He knows where to come and find us.
Pray Psalm 119:176 over yourself in faith. Here’s an example prayer:
“Father, Your Word says that You will come and find me when I’ve wandered away from You, and that’s what I want. I want to see Your presence with me and to know Your love for me. I want Your face to be clearer to me than my mistakes. Please replace the voice of shame in my life with Your voice instead.”
You can also pray this verse over your friends. Do you know someone who feels deep shame and desperately needs to understand how much God loves them?
Here’s one way you can pray for your friend:
“Father, You see ___________ (person’s name) much more clearly than I do. You know exactly what’s going on inside them, and I ask that You would comfort them and help them feel the peace of the Lord. Where they have wandered away from You, I ask that You would go and find them. May their heart come alive in the same place where it feels fearful and ashamed today.”
2. What is the Lord saying to you about not being afraid? Do you understand that nothing in this world is worthy of your fear?
Powerful people harass me without cause,
but my heart trembles only at your word. (Ps. 119:161)
Human defiance only enhances your glory,
for you use it as a weapon. (Ps. 76:10)
In a time when fear abounds, we get to be fearless because of Jesus.
We don’t tremble at the voice of fear or the threats and schemes of men. We don’t panic when we hear fearful predictions of the future. We put no value on those things, because we know that at the end of the day, the world’s efforts to run ahead of God or to defy Him won’t go anywhere. The only thing the world can do successfully is exalt Him (Ps. 46:10).
We don’t tremble at the Lord’s word because we’re scared of Him. This isn’t a terror-based action. It is a metaphor for how seriously we take Him. It paints a picture of how much value we give Him in our lives. “We tremble only at Your word. Yours alone.”
Here is one way you can pray Psalm 119:161 over yourself in faith:
“Father God, my heart trembles only at Your word. May the voice of fear lose all its power in my life, and may I walk in Your peace instead. I welcome Your peace to come and live inside me, and I choose You over the voice of fear.”
You can also pray Psalm 119:161 over your friend:
“Father, I think my friend __________ (person’s name) needs Your peace today. Would You help them shake off all fear and look to You instead? May their heart get to the place where they can say with confidence that You are the Fearless One for them. May the voice of fear lose its power in their life, and may they truly walk in Your peace.”
Beloved child of God, may this week be a game changer for you.
Does your heart need to remember who God is? Check out these other devotions:
For more information on sex, marriage, and finding the person who is right for you, get a copy of Becoming the One by Salomé Roat. Click here to learn more. The book is also available in Spanish.