Pray for peace
Hello,
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” (Psalm 122:6 NIV)
Like many of you, my thoughts have been with the tragedy unfolding in Israel and Gaza this week. As you see the pictures and read the stories of the countless civilian injuries and deaths, it is hard not to weep in despair.
One of the questions that I sometimes find myself asking is, “where is God in this conflict?”
In Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious writings there is a lot of speculation that conflict in the Middle-East will herald Armageddon – the end of the world. Is God just waiting patiently for the prophecies to be fulfilled and this apocalypse to take place?
Jesus gives us a different answer. In his famous “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus told us that “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NIV)
If we want to know where God is in this conflict, he is at work in all the people who choose a path of peace instead of violence, who seek to heal instead of destroy, who choose love and forgiveness over hatred and vengeance.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5 NIV)
Warm regards,
Gavin
About the Writer:
Gavin Henderson is the National Ministry Leader for GCI in the UK and Ireland