PRAYING FOR PEACE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. That is where the tribes go up — the tribes of the Lord — to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel. There stand the thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.”

For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.

Psalm 122

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Peace be with you. These four simple words are spoken in churches and between people constantly. They echo the words of the scriptures and especially as we look at the New Testament epistles as Paul and Peter used them to open up their words to the early Christian churches and their membership.

As I wrote about at the end of the 119th Psalm, we all long for peace in our lives as well in the world around us. Peace is a valuable commodity that is important to us. It was important to the Lord as well. Look at these passages:

(Jesus speaking) Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

(Jesus speaking) “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

(Peter speaking) You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Acts 10:36

(Paul speaking) Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. Romans 5:1-2

(Paul speaking) Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands) — remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him, we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Ephesians 2:11-18

What do you see as the common thread through these scripture passages?

I hope you see that at the heart of true peace is Jesus. He is the One who left us with His peace and because of that we find our peace through Him, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). He also brings us to peace with God, mediating and interceding for us with the Father.

So what will happen for a person who truly commits themselves to being a Christian?

They will adopt the ways of Jesus to include a life attitude of peace.

Given this truth, it’s little wonder that Jesus said this during His Sermon on the Mount as He delivered the Beatitudes:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9

When we adopt peace as Jesus did by allowing Him to live and abide within our hearts and minds, then we will become as He was, a child of the God Most High.

Let’s now connect this to our scripture passage from the 122nd Psalm and what it has to say about the matter of peace. Look at those verses:

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. That is where the tribes go up — the tribes of the Lord — to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel. There stand the thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.

A psalm of praise for God’s holy city, the psalmist prays for the peace of Jerusalem, that there would be peace within its walls which would benefit his family and all others who dwelled there.

As I read this, I began to ponder how often we pray for peace in the world around us. Shouldn’t we be doing this constantly as part of our daily prayer discipline?

I say this because it seems there is always some place where we find unrest and its associated strife flourishing. We find it in the world’s nations and we find it within our own nation. We find it in our communities and sometimes that includes our churches. We find it in our relationships, often times in our affairs with those who are closest to us. And there are times where we have inner turmoil, so much so that our hearts and minds are void of peace.

Friends, we need to follow the way of the psalmist and pray for peace, knowing through the scriptures that we can find it perfectly through Jesus Christ.

We need to pray for the peace of our world. We need to pray for the peace of our nation. We need to pray for the peace of our communities and our churches. We need to pray for peace in all our relationships in life and especially if the conflict is within our own families. And finally, we need to pray for the peace of mind and the peace of heart to live life every day, serving the Lord faithfully and peacefully while dealing with whatever circumstances might come our way.

As we look at the world around us, it might seem that peace is impossible. But when we think about Jesus as the Master of peace, then I think we’ll realize that there is nothing beyond the work of His almighty hands, that there is nothing that He can’t bring tranquility to.

Always remember, He is the Prince of Peace and thanks be to God that He is only a prayer for peace away.

Won’t you call on Him today?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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