“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 brothers 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 122:6-9)

This was King David’s prayer for Israel centuries ago. It is my prayer for Israel today and everyday. Indeed around the world people are praying for Israel, for protection, for peace, for provision in her time of need. People are praying for the peace of Jerusalem. And today her people, the people within her borders, need our prayers as never before.

Truly there is “nothing new under the sun,” at least that’s what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes-

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

It may be “nothing new” historically, but the atrocities committed in the last few days in Israel have shocked the world, providing a wakeup call of sorts to those who have been lulled into a slumber of complacency regarding the threat of terrorist attacks, which have now become an all too real reality. Wars and rumors of wars run rampant. Unrest resides around the globe and in every human heart. We are uneasy. We long for peace. But we can’t seem to find it – personally or nationally. The psalmist declared –

“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:12-14)

I want to seek peace, to experience peace, to know peace, to live in peace – secure and unafraid. However, peace is often as precarious as she is precious, as elusive as she is earnestly sought after. The Prince of Peace did walk for awhile on this earth and it is His promised return that will bring the lasting peace we all desire to see in our day. We read this account of His entrance into human history in Isaiah –

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

The Prince of Peace will come again and “of His government and peace there will be no end.” Jesus, the Prince of Peace – Paul said this about Him –

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this 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 2:13-18)

The Prince of Peace Himself is our peace! And Paul says He has taken down the barriers that separate us from Him and from each other – that Jesus has destroyed the walls of hostility that we have built up between ourselves over time, some walls centuries old, still in existence today. And we maintain those walls instead of tearing them down. But Christ came that we might be reconciled to Him and to each other, and experience the peace and the freedom that come with the tearing down of our manmade walls of hostility and distrust. Paul writes about this in his letter to the church at Corinth, saying –

“And He (Christ Jesus) died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:15-20)

God has given you and me, dear readers, the message and the ministry of reconciliation! And reconciliation brings peace! Our Prince of Peace has entrusted to us a life-long ministry of bringing peace into this fractious and fractured world. It is no small nor insignificant task. As I write this, I am picturing the concentric circles of peace. I don’t know if peace is like a river, but I’m picturing the ripple effect that our individual actions have as they start a reaction that moves outward, ever expanding.

First, I need to be reconciled to God through my Redeemer, Jesus. Once I have peace with Jesus, I can pursue peace with others. I need the peace of God, individually, we all do. Then we need God’s reconciliation and peace in our families, in our churches, in our neighborhoods, in our cities, in our countries and in our world. These are the concentric circles of peace we must pursue.

The words of a song come to mind – “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” How true. We each have a part to play in bringing about the peace we say we so desire to experience. Paul exhorted the church at Rome with these words –

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:18-19)

We are waiting for the Prince of Peace to return. Until then, we have His promise, given to His disciples before He returned to heaven – Jesus said to them,

“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)

In this currently war torn world, I can experience the gift of Jesus’s peace and share His gift with others, one person at a time. That is the way God’s peace is passed on, individually, one person at a time. (another song line – “it only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up to its glowing”) We each can be that spark of peace, which will stand out in a world full of division and discord.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace even as I pray for the peace of Jerusalem,

sincerely, Grace Day