A 21 day Prayer and Fasting Devotional (Nov. 1-21, 2023)
Day 7
EXCHANGED FOR PEACE
by Hannah Etsebeth
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:27 ESV
Have you ever been there? Many (if not most) of us have. Following the Last Supper as Jesus was preparing His disciples for what was to come, He addressed the issue of peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27 ESV). Our Lord Himself fully understood that we would face fear and troubled hearts, and in exchange, we would need His peace. And as we see all through Scripture, we have a choice to receive it. You see, what stands out to me in John 14:27 is not only that His peace is there but also that we have to take a step to gain victory. “Let not” is the admonition Jesus gives us. Don’t let your heart be troubled. Don’t let it be afraid. In our journey toward greater freedom in Christ, there is always a moment when we have to choose to make an active exchange—our life for His life. Our sin for His redemption. Our unforgiveness for His grace. Our fear for His peace.
Sometimes the exchange of our life for His life—our pain for His healing—may come out as a bold declaration in prayer, and sometimes that exchange comes out as a whisper as we tenderly and carefully lay our deepest concerns before the Lord and wait for Him to meet them. But as we wait on Him and stay in His Presence, I have found that He always meets us there as our hearts are transformed.
Prayer
Lord, I need You. There are areas of my life that are too much for me to carry. There are areas where fear has been the voice in my head, rather than the truth of Your Word. Lord, I make a choice today to exchange my fear for Your peace. I lay down my life in exchange for Yours. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Activation
- Write down two areas that are troubling you. Ask the Lord to exchange your troubled heart for His peace.
- Sit quietly for a few minutes in God’s presence. As you present these things to Him, take a moment to hear from Him as you make the holy exchange.
For Further Study
(Just click the following verses to read it)
Prepared and edited by:
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| Armando P. Mariano |
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