“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
I’ve really been enjoying the fellowship with other believers focused on Priscilla Shirer’s God Is Able. In last week’s session, participants helped me work through a theological question I’ve been grappling with: “I know we’re supposed to pray without ceasing,” I said, “but what are y’all’s thoughts, do we pray all the time about the same thing like the persistent widow and the judge or do we pray one time and trust that God has it?”
Two participants shared their reflections including the popular acronym P.U.S.H. (pray until something happens). Upon hearing their thoughts, what came to me was P.U.P. (pray until peace) and that it would likely be an upcoming devotional. One of the participants got really excited about “P.U.P.P.I.E.S.” I looked at her bewildered and laughed, simply replying “we just finished a whole section on asking God so I’m not mad at you making your request known.” Looks like God answered her, lol!
With P.U.S.H., something happening can be internal or external. Often because of our societal conditioning we’re more likely to observe an external occurrence than an internal one missing out on the shift as a result of our prayer. P.U.P.P.I.E.S. means pray until perfect peace in every situation. I love the story of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18: 1-8). A woman persistently sought a judge for relief in her case. I mean day in and day out, she goes to him until finally he gives her what she wants. She wore the down judge y’all! Jesus shared this story with His followers to illustrate if a human judge will do this, how much more would God respond to our pleas and prayer requests.
I’m also a fan of when God responds immediately! There are so many incidents in the Bible where one prayer is all it takes and God answers right away like with Hezekiah asking to live longer and not die (2 Kings 20:1-6), Peter asking for help after walking on water (Matthew 14:30-31), or Abraham’s servant asking for help in identifying a wife for Issac (Genesis 24:12-21). These four examples show us that there is no magic formula to prayer in praying only once or repeatedly about the same matter.
Praying until perfect peace in every situation sounds nice but can feel unattainable. The word “perfect” can trip us up. I can hear you now, “is it possible to have perfect peace in EVERY situation?” I encourage us to view the word “perfect” from a heavenly viewpoint instead of an earthly one. As humans, when we think of “perfect” we think of things that are error-free, complete, final. We often doubt, wonder, and worry; “perfect” here does not mean flawless. Rather, “perfect” from the viewpoint of how God’s love is perfect, not simply because of its wholeness but because of the absolute safety in knowing He is all encompassing holding us in that moment.
To have perfect peace in every situation means to have an assurance that whatever we’re praying about is covered by God and that we and the situation are in His hands. Geesh, I have perfect peace just envisioning that!! No matter your prayer request, no matter the situation, pray as much or as little as it takes for you to have perfect peace in every situation.
Reflection
What situations have you been praying about? Have you experienced peace in those situations? Why or why not? How can you go about life with an assurance that God’s got you while you await an answer?
Prayer
Lord, thanks for Your perfection. Because You are blameless, I don’t have to be. Forgive me for not leaning into Your peace consistently with my prayer requests. Help me to experience a calm that comes from knowing You are in every situation. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Photo by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash
Comments