2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.  The Lord be with all of you.”

In my prayer time this morning it seems that peace was my overriding request above all other things.  There are people battling sickness and disease, others seeking protection or guidance for certain things in their lives.  Sometimes I am so busy telling God what I think He needs to do for someone I forget for a moment that He knows what needs to be done, not me.  At the end of each of Paul’s letters, he has a closing or a benediction.  It is easy for me to just gloss over those verses and move on to the next thing but today I pause.  No matter what else Paul has said in his letters, when all is said and done, he wishes grace and peace on the church people he was writing to.  How would that change our days if our exchanges with others ended with a benediction of grace and peace?  If there is a person you are not looking forward to conversing with, would it help if you see them in this light of bestowing God’s peace on them in all times and in all ways?

This is my prayer for each of you this morning.  I pray that God will fill you with his peace and that you will feel the presence of his grace abiding in you today.

Lord,

Thank you for opening my eyes to see this little verse tucked in at the end.  There is nothing this world needs more than your peace.  Be with each of us today and let your peace flow through us and out into the world around us.  Amen.