Hope for Peace
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 2:1-5
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Those who follow Jesus hope for peace. The prophet Isaiah promises a Savior called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), and Jesus is called “our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).
Different groups of people within the Christian church have held different views about war, peace, and the role of government in our world. Some Christians believe that war is never the right choice, while others believe that sometimes there can be a just war. But not everyone agrees on what makes a war “just.”
What all followers of Jesus do agree on, however, is that war is tragic. War is not the way in which God means for people to engage with each other. Though it might be necessary at times, war is not a part of God’s good plan for creation.
We can give thanks for the hope we hear in Isaiah 2 about God’s peaceful kingdom. These words paint an interesting picture of weapons that have been turned into farming implements because they are no longer needed for war.
This is a picture of hope even in times of war. Weapons are still used for violent purposes, but one day they will have no purpose other than for growing good crops for food.
We pray that God will grant us wisdom now as we engage in the realities of war, and that God will grant us hope as we long for a future of peace.
Prince of Peace, we lament that war is still a reality in our world, and we pray that your peace will reign everywhere soon. In your name, Amen.
About the author — Rebecca Jordan Heys
Rebecca Jordan Heys serves as a pastor at Calvin Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She and her husband, Kyle, are the parents of two children.
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