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“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
—John 20:21

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I don’t know where this new week finds you but it has found you nonetheless. How do you feel about what lies ahead? Is your heart beating a bit faster as you consider the work to be done, places to be, and commitments to fulfill?

As I prayed for you this week, I heard Jesus’ words, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (Jn. 20:21). It’s as if God’s Spirit wants to remind you that you are sent into this week, that this isn’t just another week. It’s the week. Your week. And your comings and goings are sacred to God, for you are sent and empowered by Jesus.

The text in John 20 also tells us that when it comes to fulfilling our purpose this week, Peace is the first movement. In other words, when we inhale Peace, we exhale God’s Power. We usually get that backwards, though, thinking peace is on the other side of whatever we need . . . or need to get done. 

Too often we just charge ahead in our own strength, powering our way through another week and sacrificing our sanctity (and sometimes our sanity). Our busyness tells us we don’t have time to consult God and learn His rhythms for Life.

Response

. . . what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might. (Ephesians 1:19)

I’ve been a person of faith for decades but in many ways it feels like I’m just now understanding how faith works. The all-powerful God doesn’t need much from me, He’s just looking for someone to believe. To pause. To breathe. To let go of my self-conscious grip on reality and receive from the Source of Life. It’s in this place of surrender that I discover a grace and power that supersede my natural ability. 

This week, when you lose sight of the miracle in your everyday comings and goings, when you feel overwhelmed by cares and challenges, when life feels like nothing more than a bunch of boxes to check, I want you to stop, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and pray, 

Father, I breathe in your Peace. 

You are God, and I am not. 

I am sent by You. 

May I exhale Your Power. 

Or to make it even simpler: 

I breath in Your Peace 

and breath out Your Power.

Closing Thoughts

And he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit . . .” (John 20:22)

This is your week. Your week to surrender, to yield, to believe. This is your week to make space for silence and holy deep breaths. To receive a fresh wind, power, and grace. You don’t need to chase mystical experiences or mountaintops—the Spirit tells us that everyday moments are consecrated as we breathe in God’s Peace and breathe out His Power. 

Praying with you,

Addison

 

 

P.S. If don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to get it through Amazon or the Messenger Store. I spend a good amount of time on how to surrender and receive God’s peace and power. 

P.P.S. If you’re new to these prayer guides, then welcome. I’m glad you’re here and grateful you’ve joined us on this journey of rediscovering prayer as a way of life.