Great Plains Daily Devotional for 11/8/2020

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This past week, my dad had a health scare that required he be taken to the hospital in Winfield by ambulance. He’s doing well now as I write this, but it brought to the surface my concerns about living three hours away from my parents and not being able to be there for them right away if something like this happens. It’s a helpless feeling, and even though my being there would not have affected the outcome in any way, I still wanted to be there to be with my mom, even though she had told me not to come until at least she had more news for us.

She had my dad’s cellphone with her, but she doesn’t know how to use it, so she asked me to contact my brothers and other family members, and it gave me a purpose of how I could help her as she went to be with my dad. Once that was done, I took to Facebook to put out a prayer request to people on my friends list.

I know some people look at Facebook as a tool of the devil, but God must have been in charge of my post that day, because instantly, I started getting messages of prayer returned to me. Some of these people knew my dad, and others were from my friends who may have never met him, but knew their prayers would help anyway. I received prayers from all across the conference and from all over the country, including one friend living in England.

As these prayers started coming in, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit draping me with peace, almost as if I was being wrapped in a blanket of God’s love. I still had to wait to hear the news that he was doing well, but even if the news hadn’t been good, I knew that God was present with me in that moment when I needed God the most.

As I pondered these events later in the day, I realized that one of my favorite scripture passages was in play in this situation: “… in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I needed that peace, and God provided it for me. That peace came in the form of hundreds of family members and friends who immediately went to God in prayer for my dad as soon as I requested it.

God’s peace was available for me, and God’s peace is available for you as well. In this season of COVID, with Charge Conference reports due and being in the middle of planning for a different Advent season than we’ve ever experienced before, don’t forget to silence the clamor of the noise in your life and seek God’s peace. It costs nothing, and the benefits you will receive when it comes over you are indescribable.

Prayer for Reflection

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
Psalm 78:1-7
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-13