Peace seems to be a commodity in short supply. I wish I could say that everyone wants peace but that would not appear to be the case in our world today. Our days are like those of Jeremiah, in that people cry “Peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6: 14). There is war in our world, domestic violence is at an all-time high and in the wake of the Aisling Murphy case we are looking at how women can not only feel safe but be safe.

Where can we go for peace? Peace can only be found in the prince of peace, Jesus, the son of God. Our spiritual peace is peace with God as Romans 5: 1 reminds us, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ“.

But in a worldly sense what must we do, as another part of Romans tells us, “Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual edification” (Romans 14: 19). As simple as it may sound, doing just that is what we need to do. God says peace comes when we live in harmony with him – when we do what he tells us to do. The Bible, God’s Word, is our manual for life. If we don’t obey the principles laid out in the Bible then we will never experience peace.

Even when things don’t make sense, we must trust God’s purpose. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3: 5-6). We often feel that lots of things in life are beyond our control and rather than get in a panic, God urges us to just trust him.

But he also calls on us to pray to help bring about peace. Our prayers precede the peace for the apostle Paul tells us in Philippians, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 6-7). If we are not praying, we are likely to be worrying. And worry gets us nowhere.

So, in our world today we need to pray for peace because it is the only ‘weapon’ we all have.