A few weeks ago, I walked up our pantry hallway as I wrapped up a late night conversation with my mom. My stomach grumbled, begging me to find something to eat. I reached for the pantry doorknob, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something odd. The wooden picture frame for a butterfly art piece we have hanging in the hallway was warped.
“What in the world?” I said.
“What’s going on, Lauren?” My mother replied.
“A picture frame I have downstairs is warped, but I don’t know why. Something isn’t right …”
I took a step back to see a black dot starting to take over part of the picture. Nooooooooo, I thought to myself. I lifted the frame and gasped, completely shocked to see mold spreading over this entire section of the wall.
Suddenly, everything started to make sense. Our family had been sick constantly for four months and most of us were still struggling with respiratory issues. My husband was faring better than the rest of us, but he was in the house for a shorter amount of time than we were. On top of all of this, when I had been praying several months before this, asking the Lord for wisdom as to why we’d been getting sick so often, He had in fact whispered, “mold” to my spirit. But now that the truth had been exposed, I couldn’t believe it.
Time passed and we got our house tested and several remediation companies came out to give us quotes. We started to learn that just because you have insurance doesn’t mean they cover things, even when there is a legitimate reason for damage. Meanwhile, work escalated to higher-than-usual levels of stress. Throw in other random things like me breaking several glasses on accident somehow, my left arm swelling for no apparent reason, and our son deciding he was done with naps, even though he isn’t ready for that yet, and you have a recipe for CHAOS.
If you’re living and breathing, you know what it’s like to experience times of high stress and chaos. It’s part of the territory that comes with living here on earth. Thankfully God Himself is our peace (see Ephesians 2:14), and His Word is full of the truth our hearts need when the world around us is shaking. If you need peace today, here are 7 verses to pray when you desperately need it. Let me know which one blessed your heart the most in the comments!
Friend, before we get to the verses, I want to personally invite you to find peace, rest, joy and healing at the She Found Joy Retreat this year. Come encounter His love among a small group of soon-to-be friends in the mountains of Spruce Pine, North Carolina and apply today.
7 Verses to Pray When You Desperately Need Peace
Psalm 94:16-19
“Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?
Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
Unless the Lord had been my help,
My soul would soon have settled in silence.
If I say, “My foot slips,”
Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.”
Pray the Word: Thank You, Lord, that You rise up for me against my enemies. Thank You that You are my help, and You keep me from stumbling. Thank You that Your mercy upholds me. Thank You that when anxiety is great within me, I can turn to You and be comforted and receive the peace I need.
Psalm 29:11
“The Lord gives strength to his people, and the Lord blesses his people with peace.”
Pray the Word: God, I might feel weak right now, but I know Your Spirit is strong in me and is filling me with strength even now. Thank You for blessing me with increasing peace each and every day of my life. Help me experience your peace in deeper ways and extend your peace to others too.
Psalm 4:8
“I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
Pray the Word: God, my mind is racing, but I’m choosing to turn my attention and affection to You. I thank You that in You I can find rest for my body, mind, and soul. I thank You that I can sleep knowing that you are watching over me and keeping me safe. Truly, You are my safe place, and I don’t have to worry because You are with me, working as I wait and rest.
Romans 8:6
“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
Pray the Word: God, help me set my heart and mind on truth. Help me not listen to my flesh or what the enemy is saying, but help me recall Your Word in times of distress. Sometimes, it’s so tempting to give in to the negative or fearful thoughts. But I know that the words you speak to me, and have already spoken in Your Word, are the only words that can bring life, for you said they are spirit and life (John 6:63). As I meditate on Your Word, thank You that I am filled with life and peace.
Isaiah 55:12
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
Pray the Word: Thank You, Jesus, that You promise in Your Word that You will lead me in peace. In the middle of all of this chaos, I am looking for peace, for I know that is where You are. Fill me with joy and renew my faith as I follow where Your peace is leading me. You are my delight.
Isaiah 26:3
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”
Pray the Word: I am choosing to fix my eyes on You, Jesus. Thank You that as I keep my focus on You, and not the storm around me, that You promise to keep me in a place of peace. I trust You completely. I breathe in Your shalom, and I rest in knowing that You love me and are good and faithful to me.
Proverbs 3:13-18
“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.”
Pray the Word: God, Your Word says that wisdom makes our ways pleasant and our paths peaceful. Give me the wisdom I need to walk in peace in this moment. I honor and treasure Your wisdom, and I thank You in advance for revealing Your wisdom to my heart so that I understand it fully. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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