A Story of Grace and Peace*
Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God. ~ Oswald Chambers
This is a story about twin girls born into a royal family. Grace was born first, but right on her heels, Peace came into the world. They were always together: thinking the same thoughts, singing the same songs, and radiating love from themselves to others. Grace was definitely the outgoing one: running here and there, laughing, and bringing such joy to everyone she met. Although Peace had more of a quiet nature, her calm assurance seemed to balance the exuberance of her sister. Inseparable, they completed each other.
Grace and Peace had as their hero Agape, their older brother, who was their Father’s firstborn child and only Son. Agape really was the image of His Father. Agape lived His life to show the people of the world what the love of their Father was really all about. Agape watched over His sisters and guided them gently through each day. Every day, as they wandered through the land of the living, they shared with others the love they had for each other, as well as the love they had received from their Father.
The sisters had been given a very special assignment by their Father. They were to tell others that, if they accepted the Father’s love that Agape showed them, they would be adopted into their Father’s royal family.
As Agape wandered through the land with His sisters, He often talked to His Father about those who were glad to hear their special message of love and adoption. Some people received their message with great joy and gratitude. Others were jealous and blinded by an evil presence from seeing the truth of Agape’s message of the Father’s love. Nothing that happened to Grace and Peace could distract them from continuing to spread their message of joy, but the blindness seemed to spread faster than they could communicate the good news of adoption.
However, their family did continue to grow one by one. Each one who believed in their message began to understand the meaning of the special names given to the twin girls. The Father gave to each adopted one the attributes of Grace so that, when the ones who were blinded tried to taunt and ridicule them, they were able to handle the jeers of the crowd. Agape showed them by His own example how that was possible.
The ridiculers often were confused by the ability of Agape, Grace, and Peace to continue to love them no matter how badly they were treated. The blind ones really could not understand Peace. Even though they tried their best to rid her of her sense of security and joy, she was never moved to do anything but continue to give them the Father’s message of love and tell them how that love was evidenced in the life of her brother Agape. The adopted ones were blessed with the same sense of belonging and security that Peace had. The stability of the love of their Father kept them all secure and filled with an indescribable joy.
As time went on, the blinded ones became so jealous of the growth of the royal family that they were determined to stop it. They thought that, if they murdered Agape, the Father’s one and only Son, the growth of the Father’s family would be halted. The blinded ones eventually were successful in bringing about the death of the Son. Before His cruel murder, Agape talked to the Father about the adopted ones who would be left behind. He asked Him to protect them, to unify them, and to grant them the character of His dear sisters Grace and Peace.
The death of Agape did indeed greatly discourage the adopted ones. His death could have destroyed them if Grace and Peace had not stayed by their sides with the truth that Agape had just gone home to be with their Father and prepare a place for each of them. The Spirit of Agape continued to live in their hearts and enabled them to walk daily with Grace and Peace
One of the leaders of the blinded ones attacked the Father’s adopted family even more fervently after Agape went home to His Father’s house. However, the Father’s plan was that this Persecutor would be used more than any other adopted child to spread His message of love.
Agape delivered His invitation personally to the Persecutor. As the evil one had blinded his heart, the Father blinded his eyes in order to make him listen to Agape. When his eyes were blinded, his heart began to see for the first time.
When the Persecutor understood and accepted the truth of Agape’s message, he was himself adopted into the family. The Father then gave him the ability to communicate that message, so the royal family grew even more as time went by.
Since the Persecutor had been so strongly blinded by the evil one, he understood the strategies of the attack upon the royal family. He realized the necessity of Grace and Peace in their lives. The Father gave him the assignment of strengthening the faith of the family. Just as Agape had talked to His Father about the adopted ones, the Persecutor continually discussed the needs of the royal family with their Father, interceding on their behalf.
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This allegory sets the stage for the prayer driven life of the apostle Paul, the Persecutor. After meeting Agape – Jesus – and being adopted into the royal family, he warned other adopted ones about the treachery of the “god of this age” who blinds the minds of those who do not believe (2 Corinthians 4:4). The ministries of “Grace” and “Peace” continue to be gifts from the Father to those in His family.
© Stephanie B. Blake
August 2012
* an excerpt from The Prayer Driven Life
One Focus Ministries 