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Written by Jocelynn Goff
As I go about my day, I am aware of immediate needs for divine intervention, answers, comfort, inspiration, or divine presence. I pray on my own but often feel the need for an army of prayer warriors. My IRSM Bible study group is just the prayer warriors I need. We have deep prayer with each other during the week as we meet for study. However, during the workday we also stay connected in prayer. It’s different but effective nonetheless.
When one of us feels the need for prayers from the other ones we will text each other. Since we also need to continue on with our work we are unable to communicate the whole thought behind our prayer request. We have solved this problem by using code words to communicate prayer need.
My word is “arrow,” another sister’s is “bump” and another sister’s is “QC”. When the text comes that says one of those words we each know to send a quick prayer up for that sister. God knows the exact need and so we can leave it in His hands but we are assured we are not alone as our Iron Rose Sister is praying for us.
We need each other day-by-day, moment-by-moment. We have discovered how to stay connected in prayer throughout our workdays and it is a comfort.
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Praütes – a Greek word I was unfamiliar with recently and am still trying to grasp the full meaning of. According to Peter vanBreeman in As Bread That Is Broken (1974), it is a word that “can only be translated very inaccurately into English.” It’s more like the fruit of the Spirit that isn’t a list of nine qualities, but the combination of those qualities that embodies the Spirit itself and the qualities we have access to through the Spirit.
The translations of praütes that most resonated with me were the ones that described a “stillness of the heart” and one that “knows him/herself loved by God.” For me, those two things are very connected. I cannot attempt to manifest a stillness of the heart if I do not know myself loved by God and allow that and only that to define me.
When I think of Jesus’ reaction to the crowd that wanted to kill Him and yet He just walked right through them (Luke 4:16-30), only a man with stillness of heart and that knew himself loved by God could do that. When I think of Jesus going to the cross, facing all the human emotion and inner turmoil that came with those circumstances—only a stillness of the heart and knowing Himself loved by God would get Him through. Praütes. May we have the hope and peace that come from stillness of the heart and knowing ourselves loved by God.
As a part of our individual spiritual health, I encourage you to follow the model of Christ and be characterized by praütes.
Special thanks to Mandy Lillich for sharing her book and her insight!
We forgo our physical needs to care for others. We pray that our loved ones do the right thing, but may neglect to model our walk with God.