“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
Peace; will you and I ever see a time when there is peace in this world? Peace in our State? Peace in our Synod? Peace at our place of work? Peace in our family? There will never be any peace on earth until we humans have made peace with our Triune God. Our sinful world will never, ever be a dwelling place of peace until peace finds a place in the heart of every sinful man and woman. How many countries are now experiencing war within their borders? How many countries have our troops been within their borders to help establish peace? There is a saying “war does not determine who is right, only who is left.”
While living in Haiti a convoy of United Nations MINUSTAH troops made me feel ‘at peace‘ as their presence brought a sense of order to a country where there was none. Haitian friends told me that they wanted the UN to leave Haiti…but it seemed like there was a lot less trouble with them within the Haitian borders. Peace in our country and peace among other nations will never come as long as sinful human beings continue to seek peace on our own terms; as long as we continue to cling to the things within us that make wars inevitable.
We live in a troubled time. The man in the attached photo is walking next to a tent village near the Port-au-Prince airport following the 2010 quake. It was over 90 degrees on that late morning, very hot in those tents, no electricity, perhaps a meal each day, no running water…a life style that would not set well with North America. Peace in that tent city is strained as tempers of the inhabitants flare as nothing seemed to be improving…the world once again turning away from Haiti. Thankfully today, almost all the tent cities are gone.
Children attending Christian schools are taught about peace from our Heavenly Father. Peace is God’s gift and there is no way that we can manufacture it, copy it, teach others about it or force it upon another person. It’s God’s gift. Thank you for bringing peace to the life of one child in Haiti who thinks about you at meal time, and offers thanks to God for you and your gift.
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay