Peace
Whether you agree with President Trump’s policies and how he does things or not, one thing is clear – he wants to bring peace to the world. Although the war between Russia and Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas still drag on, peace deals have been signed with many other countries. The latest is a joint declaration of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have been in conflict for decades. Since the fall into sin, hatred, jealousy, and envy have brought conflicts and wars to virtually all parts of the globe. The Old Testament is full of stories of war and bloodshed. Even though strife is in the DNA of sinful man, that doesn’t mean we can’t strive for peace until Jesus returns.
It's unlikely any of us can impact world peace like a president, king, or premier, but we can certainly work for peace among the people around us. Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” Obviously, God highly values those who attempt to bring about peace. Most of you are probably familiar with the famous prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi. You can easily find it online, so I won’t quote it in its entirety, but I do want to repeat part of it -
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
I especially like the first line of the prayer - “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:”. We are asking God to use us as an instrument. A musical instrument is often used to create calm, soothing tones. A surgical instrument is often used to eliminate something harmful or disruptive to the body. What a perfect picture of our Heavenly Father using you and I, sinful human beings, to bring about something wonderful and valuable in the world! We are a tool in the hands of the Master Musician or the Master Physician. What an honor!
Our opportunity to bring peace may be at work, at church, or even in our own homes. The old saying, “Hurt people, hurt people,” is very true. We can be the voice of calm which heals people and heals relationships. It’s not easy to broker peace, but nothing of value is ever easy. Simply bringing the two parties together may be the biggest challenge, but it’s a necessity. Once they are together, we must remain calm, be good listeners, and avoid taking sides. If the two parties are Christian, we can, of course, use God’s wisdom and examples from the Bible to easy tensions and start the healing process. As a matter of fact, in that scenario, starting and ending with a prayer has tremendous benefits.
Because we live in a sinful world, we know we won’t always be successful. Sinful pride and ego can be difficult hurdles to overcome. We can’t be naïve or blame ourselves if our attempts don’t work out. We do know being a peacemaker is what the Lord would have of us, and the Prince of Peace himself, is the one who is wielding us as his instrument. Because Christ brought the ultimate peace between God and us, we appreciate the value of peace in this life as well!