Let There Be Peace on Earth
Watching and reading the news here lately has been downright depressing. I realize that the news media does not tell the whole story and that there are lots of good things happening in the world but there definitely has been no shortage of horrible things for them to concentrate on in recent days. Most of it has been related to war—terrible stories of commercial planes being shot out of the air, rockets being launched into schools where innocent people had gathered to seek protection, and children and adults beheaded for their refusal to convert to someone else’s religion. It makes me quite sad that we live in a world where these sorts of thing still happen.
This morning at church we, like millions of Christians around the globe, prayed in unison the Lord’s Prayer. Right after asking that God’s name be hallowed we offered the petition, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” I cannot think of a more important prayer to pray right now. It is quite obvious as we look at the world that God’s will is not being done. Not even close. In God’s kingdom there is no place for the hatred, the violence, the killing that seems so prevalent everywhere we look.
I find myself more than ever longing for, hoping for and praying for peace. The Scriptures point to God’s desire for peace but in this area it is clear that God’s will is not being done. Peace on earth seems about as realistic as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The odds of it ever occurring appear astronomical. For that reason it is easy to be pessimistic. A number of years ago the Irish band U2 recorded a song that began with these words: “Heaven on earth, we need it now. I’m sick of all of this, hanging around. Sick of sorrow, sick of pain, sick of hearing again and again that there’s gonna be peace on earth.” I get where they’re coming from. These days it’s hard not to despair.
For me, matters are only made worse knowing that when it comes to the earth itself there is very little peace. The news we hear concerning it is no less disconcerting. The effects of climate change around the world is disheartening, if not downright frightening. The never-ending reports of toxic chemicals being poured into our skies and waterways, the destruction of rain forests, mountain top removal, and the massive extinction of animal and plant species also point to violence, hatred and killing—to another war that robs the earth and us of peace.
At this point I’m not sure that it is enough to simply offer the prayer “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” It would seem that it is time we took seriously Jesus’ call to be “peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9) and that of King David to “turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:14) As followers of the Prince of Peace we are all called to live in peace with both others and Creation. None of us can solve all the problems that are out there but all of us can do something. There is a familiar song penned by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson that begins “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” The final verse says: “Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now. With every step I take let this be my solemn vow: To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”
I will continue to pray that God’s kingdom will come and that God’s will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven but firmly believe that will not happen unless we, too, do our part. I must seek peace and pursue it. I cannot pray for that which I am not willing to work for. Neither can you.
–Chuck
(I took the top image of the Chama River in New Mexico, the second image at Garden of the Gods in southern Illinois, the third images at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, and the bottom image at the Pando Forest in Utah.)