A Peace Devotion

Prayer for Peace:

God of the Mountain,
We long for peace in our world. We long for peace in our time. We know that it is your desire that peace wash over the nations, and that love might become the centerpiece of our diplomacy. Help us to do what we can to bring the hope of peace into the reality of our lives. Amen

Reading:

In days to come,
the mountain of the Lord’s houseshall be established
as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.

Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that we may learn the ways of God
and that we may walk in God’s paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
The Lord shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

Meditation:

Here’s my dream of a required class for every person on Earth: “God’s Ways 101.” I know that any class with “God” in the name will not happen everywhere, but I desire it nonetheless. It wouldn’t be a strictly “Christian” or “Muslim” or “Jewish” class. It wouldn’t have to include an interpretation from any religion.

The class would just acknowledge that there is something greater than us, and that that greater something wants us to live in peace. As evidence of the fact that there must be something greater than us, I offer simply the fact that we continue to make war with one another.

Wouldn’t it be great if every child of, say, fourteen years of age, sat down to learn how to walk God’s pathway to peace? Those who object to God on principle would still have to acknowledge that learning peace would be a great thing for us all.

Hey, I had to take Statistics, and I don’t believe much in them.

Prayer for healing:

God of all,
Teach us your way of peace. Guide our feet as we seek to walk your paths. May there be an end to all violence and war. May those who take up arms learn to lay them down, and may we never learn war any more. Amen