There is conflict at every level of life, internal dilemnas, difficult relationships, and on the international scene, wars fought with guns, bombs and drones.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus said ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
How do we live each day with purpose? I think wherever we can, we work for peace.
Peace in our souls. We face so many challenges that can pull us down- regret over past mistakes, struggles with fear and worry, anxiety about the future. God longs for his children to live and move in His love, even in the midst of uncertainty and change.
There are verses which guide us:
Jesus says: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?f
28And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first the kingdom of Godg and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.’ Matthew chapter 6: 25-34
God offers us forgiveness for our mistakes, and asks us to bring our regrets and mistakes to Him for He says:
“As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12
The psalms also help us to trust, as in these verses from psalm 40:
“I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire,
He set my feet upon the rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” v1-3
As we trust God, find forgiveness and worry a bit less, so we can find peace in our souls.
Peace in relationships.
Tbis is such a tough one. We all have different personalities and life stories, values and perceptions. Put a group of humans together, and there will always be differences of opinions.
The key thing is how we navigate our differences. The hope is we can differ civilly, respectfully, prayerfully. However sometimes that is not the case. People are insecure, lose their temper, we can say the first thing that comes into our heads, and we hurt each other.
Prov 4:23 it says: ‘Above all else, guard your hearts, for everything you do flows from it.’
In Romans 12, it gives a detailed description of how to live well together:
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
We seek to forgive where possible, to want the best for that other person. However, if they cause us harm and do not respect our boundaries, then it is ok to walk away. There are people who for whatever reason, are abusive in relationships. We cannot fix them- rather we pray and act so they get the appropriate support they need.
Peace in our world.
There is so much fighting in the world- violent riots, civil war, invasions. It is heart breaking. And so we pray for reconciliation. We pray for reconciliation to God, and remember some words from 2 Corinthians 5: verse 14 onwards:
For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
16From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.’
We also pray for peace amongst nations, for people to resolve their disputes by negotiations and not by threats or military might. We pray for less greed for money and power, for a softening of hearts in the political and commercial world.
We think of tbose living in war zones, who are under fire this night, and pray for protection for the vulnerable, for shelter and safety, for food and electricity, for health care for the maimed and the injured.
We pray for those who serve in armies and militias, that they are not brutalised by their experiences, and for ways of restoring their humanity. May we never lightly take up arms, but only as a very last resort, when it is the lesser of two evils.
May we pray: Gracious God, Eternal Father, You must weep over all the conflict and violence in our world, division in our souls, suspicion in our relationships, violence between nations. There is so much brutality and cruelty, so many who are proud and greedy, so many who are alienated and hurting, and many who quiet quit, who just silently give up. Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, bring healing, reconciliation and peace into our hurting world. Soften the hearts of perpetrators of hatred and violence, and teach us all how to chose good rather than evil. Send your holy spirit to teach us your ways, and may we be open to learning and to following the way of truth and peace. In Jesus’name, Amen
