P Squared

As we have seen in previous essays, God has given us the strength and ability through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to be his agents of peace in our broken world.  We also need to be reminded that Jesus’ commands on the subject of living out the “gospel of peace” are clear: Go and Do!  The Bible has many practical instructions about what it means to live as a peacemaker and we will highlight some of these in the next few weeks.  This week we will discuss two practical biblical injunctions for followers of Jesus.

Psalm 122 is a hymn that was sung by the Jews in biblical times as they made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem to attend annual religious festivals.  Biblical scholars refer to these pilgrim hymns as “songs of ascent,” because the elevated location of Jerusalem meant the weary travelers would sing the songs as they climbed the steep ridges to get to their sacred city.

If you read this chapter – and I encourage you to do so -- you will find this passage: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure.  May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.’  For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.’” (Psalm 122:6-8, NIV).  Here’s some real practical advice: Pray for peace.  In fact, the first action step for any peacemaker should be prayer.

The words of this hymn beautifully weave together the various dimensions of shalom: peace involves physical security, prosperity which means having what one needs for a full life, and a “right relationship” with God.  Praying for shalom means praying for all these aspects of a wholesome life grounded in the Lord God. 

Ordinary followers of Jesus – like us – are called by God to be prayer warriors.  Like the Jews journeying to Jerusalem, we are to pray for our “Jerusalem” – our neighborhood, our city, our nation, our world.  In my experience, when we pray for something in earnest, action usually follows.  But it should begin with prayer.

A second practical instruction for peacemakers also comes from the Psalms, this time from Psalm 34, composed by King David.  Again, I encourage you to read this powerful message, especially verses 8-14.  David tells his followers to “fear the Lord” if they loved life and desired “good days.”  He also instructs his people to “seek peace and pursue it.”  The words of David called for action: avoid evil, do good, and seek shalom. 

Peacemaking requires a commitment to shalom that is more than just an intellectual consent to an abstract concept.  If a person truly loves someone, they are not content to merely think about that love, but actively desire to be with and do things for that person they care so deeply about.  The same is true with peace.  Scripture instructs Christians to pursue it – an active, initiating posture.

Shalom, as we have seen, is much more than an absence of conflict or a period of calm between wars.  Biblical shalom is a positive, constructive word that involves wholesome, harmonious relationships between our Creator, humanity and the world.  The Bible offers us helpful practical advice: pray for peace and then pursue it.  P squared – pray and pursue! 

So what?

• Have you had the experience of praying about something or someone and then, over time, realizing that you needed to do something about this prayer concern?  Prayer does that, doesn’t it?   It gets us focused on an issue of concern and then often leads to action on our part.  It doesn’t lead to immobility and passivity.  “P squared” can be a good reminder!
• Praying for our “Jerusalem” requires a wide-angle lense.  When we pray for the peace, prosperity and security of our city, we are lead to focus not only on our family and close friends, but on the community in which we live and on people who are struggling to survive.  Have you developed a prayer life that involves a broad view of your “Jerusalem”?