Sometimes, we all need a little peace and quiet. Often, home is the place where we find those much sought after commodities. Yet there also are times when home becomes a place with too much extraneous input, whether it is the difficulty of turning off the television, the constant ringing of the telephone or the continuous presence of needy people. Before complaining, realize that at times, we are the needy ones in the lives of our friends. That being said, man cannot supply our needs; only God can. God can and does use people to pass on His blessings, but He is the author and finisher of our faith.
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:1-4
One of the secrets to that peace and quiet is prayer. Peace has been described as the absence of external disturbances while quiet is as the absence of internal disturbances. When believers in the Lord have hearts of prayer, instead of worrying about the battles raging, believers will hand the battles over to God. As David reminded King Saul and the Israelites in preparation of facing the giant, Goliath, the battle is the Lord’s. Because Jesus is the Commander in Chief of the Lord’s army, we are mere foot soldiers. As foot soldiers, we are not required to make life and death decisions, but instead, our only choice is whether or not to follow the Lord. He doesn’t push us into battle or sit on a hillside watching us fight. Instead, He leads us into battle, protects us in the battle and leads us home in victory.
In addition to describing how we can achieve God’s gift of peace and quiet, Paul gives us a better understanding of the necessary types of prayer that will lead us there. First, Paul mentions supplication, which comes from the Greek word deesis, meaning a wanting or a need. We all should comprehend what it is like to have needs, and the greatest need is for salvation. Through supplication, the Lord desires for us to pray for the needs of others, understanding that only God can supply the missing needs. Secondly, Paul talks of “prayers,” the Greek word proseuche. We are reminded of what prayer entails by James, the brother of Jesus:
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
James 5:16
As believers, we should pray fervently for our friends, for our families, for our neighbors and even for our enemies. According to James, our prayers can bring healing, and that healing may be physical, spiritual or both. Thirdly, we see that another aspect of our prayer life should be as intercessors. The Greek word for intercessory is the word enteuxis, which comes from a root meaning “to draw in closely or intimately.” Technically, it is a term for approaching a king, and we know that when Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the tabernacle was split, giving each believer access into the throne room of God.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
Though God is the Creator of all, He does not desire for us to approach Him as the Cowardly Lion approached the Wizard of Oz, nervously shaking and holding his tail. Instead, we are to come boldly to His throne, because He is a God of grace. Through grace, He has released us from the immense debt owed due to our sin. While Jesus offers intercessory prayer to the Father on our behalves (Hebrews 7:25), we are called to perform the same role for the lost! Reflecting upon our own lives, each of us should be able to remember what it was like before we had the knowledge of grace. If surrounded by broken lives and broken people, we should have the understanding of the one step to mend the broken hearts and minds. Finally, Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy to be thankful for all men. It is easy to be thankful for people we think of as blessings, yet we are to be thankful for enemies, dishonest politicians and even the people who push our buttons, too. For God uses all things, positive and negative, to complete His work in us!
When a believer has an active prayer life, faith increases. Answered prayer reveals the Lord’s intimate hand of guidance, as it reminds us that He is listening! When we learn to trust in His hand, we no longer waste precious time and energy in worry. Walking in that trust, we will find peace and quiet. Though we can have that peace and quiet in the noisiest situations, sometimes it is nice to get away to a place where birds are chirping, wind is blowing and raindrops are falling. It is then when it is easiest to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). Yet, even in the midst of turmoil, God can give us the peace that passes understanding. Though peace during turmoil might not make sense, it is certainly more of a miracle, pointing directly to God’s hand!
Do you want peace and quiet? Pray!
rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
1 Peter 3:4
that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
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