Guarded by peace

Today November starts and we begin the crazy slide towards Christmas and the end of the year. I am already feeling a need to slow down, here in the second last month of the year. So I thought I’d start a series focused on finding peace in the midst, and for me, peace is found in the practice of prayer.

So each Friday I am going to share a prayer of my heart, and I hope that it will bring peace to you too.

First up is a prayer that I pray over my girls often as they go to sleep, and it is adapted from Philippians 4 verse 7.

May the peace of God that surpasses understanding, guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

I pray this over my girls as they walk into school or when they are worried about nightmares. I pray it when they can’t stop thinking about the events of the day or when they have ‘one more question’ after lights out. And, as I pray this over them, I place my hand on their heart and their head as a prayer and a benediction.

Honestly this is my favourite prayer for my kids, for I am not around all day (or night) to guard my girls. But he is. I am not able to shield them from hurtful words in the playground, or images that play on their mind. But he is. And I pray that to their worries, their wonders, their questions, and their hopes, he can bring his peace.

Maybe you can relate, for peace is something we need as adults too.

In a world that is constantly bombarding me with opinion and noise and is constantly competing for my attention. I too need peace to guard both my mind and my heart.

And I love that we do not need to understand to have peace. For the peace of God surpasses understanding. We still have questions and yet have peace.

So today I pray that your November is one in which both your heart and your mind are guarded by his peace.

Amen.