Pursue His Peaceful Presence

Day 3 : Prayer & Fasting

Have you ever gone through a very stressful situation and felt as if the world was about to break apart and crash on top of you alone? Jesus tells us that in this world we will have trouble but to take heart or have peace because he has overcome the world (John 16:33). Most of our inability to navigate the difficult patches in life is not because of our shortcomings to handle the situation but rather the absence of peace in our hearts to be able to see beyond a crisis as it appears. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives brings peace that surpasses all understanding. As we journey through this week of Prayer and fasting it very well could be that you may be going through the most difficult season or situation. You may be at a cross roads and needing a miraculous breakthrough.

I want to encourage you to press in and to seek `not after Breakthrough but rather to be seeking after the presence of the God of the breakthrough. There in His Holy Presence you will find yourself at peace and with no stress because that is how the Holy Spirit operates. There was a time when Jesus and his disciples faced a storm whilst on a boat. As this brutal storm raged, Jesus was at such peace and he was sleeping soundly on the boat at the height of the storm (Mark 4:35–41)

I can imagine however that the disciples must have started out hoisting or lowering the sails and trying to navigate the boat out of the path of the storm. As quite a number of them were seasoned fishermen they must have put their experience together of how they had weathered storms in the past on their fishing escapades. This however was not a storm that could be navigated, It paid no attention to their skill of sailing nor their desperate attempts to skilfully navigate the ship to safety. Surely this was the end, none of them had the power nor the skill to navigate their little boat over a storm of such great magnitude.

I wonder if it was at their depth of anxiety and despair that they suddenly remembered that they had one in their midst who was known for working miracles. They remembered that Jesus was with them and then a small spark of Hope must have risen, surely he could do something to assist their plight? If He could raise a little girl from the dead maybe..

As the disciples woke Jesus up to tell him that they were about to die, Jesus woke up still at peace and he was able to speak with authority and indeed he told the storm to stop and guess what? The storm obeyed and the peace of Jesus prevailed over the situation. I marvel at how the disciples ran into the presence of Jesus and their Panic Attack which had been triggered by the storm suddenly was turned into awesome wonder of the peace as the Presence of God manifested in Jesus was displayed. So aware of this great presence they asked themselves who Jesus could really be that he spoke to a storm and the storm obeyed.

It must have been such a gradual revelation to them that they were in the Presence of greatness, Jesus the son of God, as he spoke peace over the storm.

The Presence of God allows us to be at such peace so that we can concentrate on the one who is the ultimate problem solver and not on the problem itself . The Holy Spirit knows that when we focus on the noise of our problems we fail to hear God's word directing us. However, when we cultivate a consistent relationship with the Holy Spirit, he creates an environment of peace that silences the threats of our storms. We are then able to find sleep even in the midst of our roughest storms just like Jesus. And when we awake in the storm we are able to say “Peace” with the same authority over the storm because The Spirit of Peace reigns in us. The Fruit of Peace is so important and through it we can bring broader peace to the world around us. It is this pursuit of silencing the noise of our storms that fasting provides so that we can navigate into God's presence despite our challenges. Our pursuit in Prayer and fasting allows us to draw close to the Presence of God that yeilds ultimate peace and freedom from anxiety. The key to this peace is knowing that true peace is from God and not from ourselves. The Holy Spirit brings peace unlike the world and is based on a place of power. It leaves us with a sound mind despite the storms we encounter. Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank you that you are able to cultivate an environment of peace in my Life. Even when things are hectic and unusually difficult today I choose to press in to your Presence and let go of my worries. Holy Spirit I pray that you take root over my fears and help me to remain in your presence that brings absolute peace. I declare that your presence is my key to peace that keeps me rooted in your promises. Scripture Meditation “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 NLT