Finding Peace

Rivka. Finding Peace Dawud, what are you doing here? Quiet! Who is watching the sheep? Yacoub. What are you doing? I need to disappear for a while: go into hiding. What? How can you do this. We need you here! The Romans are looking for me. The Romans have been looking for you since before Father left. What have you done, Dawud? You should thank us for what we're doing. Jerusalem must be freed from her oppressors. Is Mother awake? I don't know. She's still very sick. You can't do this, Dawud. I need to tell her I'm leaving for awhile. But you promised Father. Don't talk to me about Father. He is away helping the Romans. Who is he to judge me? I'm doing what I have to do. You'll be all right. Sara and Ayoub are here and Yacoub has agreed to help with the animals. But Ayoub's arm... Aaaah! Why can't you stay? It'll be safer for everyone. I'll be back soon. You rest and get better. God be with you. How can you do this? How can you leave us? You think I planned this? Open up! Open up! Stand back! We're here to arrest Dawud bar Moussa. Search the room! Search upstairs! What is the meaning of this? Ayoub! Who are you? I am Dawud's brother-in-law. I am responsible here. Did you find him? No Sir. Ha, ha, ha. I found this one, but he looks a little young. Release him. We'll take this one instead. What? Move. I haven't done anything wrong! Ah! I said move! Ayoub! Ayoub! Let him go, let him go! Ayoub! But Ayoub! Ayoub! No! No, Sara! Sara! Think of the baby. No. You cannot help him this way. Come to your mother. Auntie? She has fainted. We must quiet ourselves and pray. God is in control even now. The soldiers, were they after Dawud? Yes Mother, but they didn't find him. He got away. But Ayoub! They took Ayoub instead! Oh God help us! We must pray. Father, we come to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We worship you. We glorify you. We thank you that even in this difficult situation you are at work. We pray now for Ayoub. Deliver Ayoub from these soldiers, Lord. Give him your wisdom. Sustain him with your grace. Fill his heart with your peace that is beyond our understanding. Keep Ayoub safe, we pray. We don't understand what is happening here, but we praise you and we thank you because our trust is in You, and in You alone. Thank you, Father. I trust in you, Lord. Auntie, how do you stay so calm when everything is falling apart? Our peace comes from God alone. I remember Mary Magdalene telling me that when she was frightened, and suffering, she would always remember and live by the example of Jesus. She said that, even when he was pressed and busy, or troubled by enemies, Jesus would wake up early in the morning and find a place to pray by Himself. Sometimes he prayed all night. He prayed all night long before he chose the twelve disciples. And He was actually praying... when the authorities came and arrested Him. He was truly a man of prayer. One time, when Jesus was on a mountaintop with Peter, James, and John, a man brought his son to the other disciples to be healed. The boy was... given to fits and sometimes he would even fall into the fire. Well, though the man begged the disciples to cast out the demon, they could not do it. Jesus rebuked his disciples for their small faith and he said, This kind comes out only by prayer and fasting. But he didn't pray and fast right then, because he had already been praying, and fasting. Jesus rebuked the demon... and the boy was healed. Jesus showed us that praying is a way of life. We must pray every day, spend time with God, worshipping Him, seeking his will, meditating on His Word. And that way, when life becomes difficult, as it does for all of us one way or another, we find we already have the resources and the peace to manage what comes our way. Do you get up early every day to pray? I try to. Of course, there may be days when something prevents me. But it is my habit and it is also my favorite time of day. Spending time with my Lord in prayer is not an obligation, it's a privilege. Sometimes I think my prayers must sound silly to God. Silly? Oh no. Mariam. God loves it whenever you come to Him with every little thing, and every big thing. Remember when God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden. God walked with them. He called out to them, "Where are you?" That is God's heart for you! He wants to be with you. And He understands what you are going through better than anyone else. But how... can you be so sure of that? Jesus became a human being, just like us. He suffered everything that we suffer. He was tempted in all the ways that we are tempted. He lived perfectly, without sin. But because he lived among us here on earth, He understands us. There is nothing we can experience that He has not faced. And His love for us is so deep. He is the perfect companion in all of life. So when you pray to God, you tell Him everything? Everything, with the sure knowledge that He really wants to hear from me. And from me. Yes. We get to share our lives with the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. Sara! Ayoub! Oh! Ah! Are you all right? Yes. A Centurion came and told the soldiers to let me go. Praise God! He was very angry with them for arresting the wrong man. Come, tell me everything. God does answer prayer. Yes. Yes he does my dear. And now I must be going home. Goodbye Auntie Rivka. Hello Yacoub. Hello. I hope you and your family are doing well. Very well thank you. And you? I'm fine. But I must be going. Goodbye then. Goodbye. Yacoub. May I help you? Um, may I step in for a moment? Of course. My family is here. Come in. Dawud found me in the fields. He wanted me to tell you that he managed to get out all right. He also said that he didn't want you to worry... that he's found a safe place to hide. Are you all right? Do you need any help? Dawud told me that you're willing to help Ayoub look after our flock with your own. Thank you so much. That is a very great help. I'm sure that Mother, Noah, and I will be fine. If you need anything, just ask me. We, I am praying for you and for your mother. I'm... very handy too, you know. I can fix anything. Anything? Well, not anything. Thank you Yacoub. I will remember your offer. Good. Well, Goodbye. Goodbye Yacoub. Which character do you identify with and why? How would you respond if you or someone you love were unjustly accused? In what ways does God answer prayer? What can we learn about prayer from Jesus’ example? What did you learn about prayer from these women?