THE ESSENTIAL INSTRUMENT OF PEACE

 

 

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

 

Jeremiah 29:7

7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

1 Timothy 2:1-2

2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Matthew 6:9-13

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

 

In Jeremiah 29 the captive Israelites had just been deported to the capital city of Babylon with no prospects for return to their homeland. Removed from their Temple and the promised land of covenant, they faced an uncertain future. (Psalm 137 is a commentary on their gloomy and joyless spirit.) While clutching at false prophecies of a speedy return, they received a letter from the prophet Jeremiah with this divine message: Seek the peace of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper (Jer. 29:7). In other words, no quick return to homeland and freedom was on the horizon. Prayer for the peace and prosperity of their enemy host was now their God-given assignment.

The experience of the exiled Israelites raises important challenges for us today as Jesus followers. Here are three challenges for us to consider.

1. The Role of PRAYER. What is the role of intercessory prayer in promoting and building peace? Both the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and the New Testament apostle Paul attribute peace to faithful intercessory prayer. Yet, intercessory prayer doesn’t seem to be substantial enough of a peacemaking activity to us, so it is often the least employed. What if this spiritual practice lays the groundwork for being the blessed peacemakers that are called children of God. (Matthew 5)

2. Engaging the HEART in prayer. It’s not hard to imagine how the captive Israelites would have felt about their destructive enemies. What might that first prayer have been like? Think about that for a moment. How do we pray for those who wrong us? What attitude of heart is necessary to offer sincere prayer for the well-being and prosperity of our enemies?

3. Seeing the WORLD through GOD’S EYES. For the Israelites, daily face-to-face contact with their captors would have been inescapable. It seems to me that in order to intercede for them with honesty and love God’s exiled people needed to see them as God saw them. God’s interest in their enemy’s welfare was much more than a temporary measure to preserve his covenant people. God’s love extended to the world of the Babylonians, too; God’s desire was to see all come to a knowledge of the truth (see I Timothy 2).

Prayer and peacemaking belong together the Bible seems to say. The reason for such an emphasis is that Intercessory prayer provides the essential foundation and the motive for our peacemaking behaviors. It is an important act of faith and hope, trusting on the promises of God for all people.  

 

LET US PRAY

God of Peace, We pray for those places in the world where conflict rages. Send your Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Teach us compassion and mercy for one another, and for all of creation. Encourage and strengthen all who work for peace and justice. Open our eyes to see ways in which we can be your agents of reconciliation so that all of your creation may know justice and wholeness and may live in peace. Through our lives and by our prayers, may your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.