It is unreal anxiety, like worrying that her sister will get hit by a car. The mom speaks wisely to her. She tries to get her to understand that her worry does not help; rather it only brings bad with it. The daughter says she knows that but is still anxious. The mother is feeling helpless to help her; she cannot speak peace into this child’s heart.
Another friend is dealing with her husband being on the edge. He
has been out of work for several months now and the little things are starting to become big to him. Understandably he is anxious, yet, his anxiety is overtaking the rest of his life too. The wife wants to encourage him, but walks the fine line of not coming across condescending to him. She realizes she cannot speak peace into his heart.
Still another friend has a husband that is running from God. He
is seeking his own pleasure and not even desiring peace with God. He has stiff armed any attempts she has made to speak peace into his life. She is unable to even get his ear to speak peace into his heart.
We can be there for our loved ones. We can desire to be vessels
God uses to build them up. In the end though, the work of peace is between them and God. God’s peace is available in every situation, yet we cannot make anyone receive it. When circumstances are the focus then God shrinks in His place of
power. He is still available, the focus must be returned to Him.
When we walk along side someone struggling to find peace, our job is to keep speaking Truth while praying for them. The real battle is in the spiritual realm and what we cannot do in the physical can be won in the heavens.
If you want a visual of how the spiritual battle may work the
books Piercing the Darkness and This Present Darkness are two novels that give a great picture to help our human minds comprehend the power God has given us in pray.