Faith@First - March 21, 2025
This week, I took out a set of prayer beads that a member of our church had lovingly made me for my birthday. As I ran my fingers over each bead, I began to pray—one bead, one prayer at a time. Worries that had felt as vast as the Grand Canyon suddenly began to shrink, transformed in the presence of God’s peace. What once seemed insurmountable became something small, something manageable. A pothole, not a chasm.
Isn’t this the power of prayer? Not that our circumstances necessarily change, but that our hearts do. In the presence of God, our anxieties lose their grip, and we find ourselves held by something far greater: divine peace.
Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us:
"Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
This week, I invite you to discover this peace anew as the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Wilson shares a message and song that speak to the power of prayer. May her words and music lead us deeper into the presence of the One who holds all things together, including our restless hearts.
And as we journey through Lent, what prayer practice might you hold onto? Perhaps you, too, will find comfort in the steady rhythm of prayer beads. Or maybe it’s a daily breath prayer, a walk in silence, or writing your prayers in a journal. However you come, come to God. And let divine peace transform what feels overwhelming into something light, something small, something surrendered.
Keep the Faith @First,
Pastor Nicole
