Peace devotion: Healing of the Nations - Revelation 22:2b

Revelation 22:2b         On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

            There are terrible things going on in the world right now and many nations are suffering. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is horrifically intensifying. Russia and Ukraine are involved in skirmishes which may one day develop into a full scale war. Children on the US-Mexico border are dying of thirst or being inhumanely abused by drug smuggling cartels. Christians are being forced out of their homes or persecuted into denying their faith in Mosul by Islamic extremists. And in West Africa, the dreaded Ebola virus is fearfully spreading and may travel across the African continent.

            We live in fearful times. Unrest, violence, disease, famine, and war are rampantly striding across the globe. And if we add irreversible climate change to the whole planetary package, then it seems as though the 21^st century is not going to be the beginning of a wonderful new age and new world after all.

            However, this is not God’s plan for the world or its people. Through Jesus, there is the great opportunity of bringing healing to the nations. In Revelation 22, after all of the upheaval of the end times, peace reigns once more because suffering, pain, inhumanity, and even death are extinguished forever. The Earth returns to its initial Edenic state and the fruits of the Tree of Life are no longer prohibited. God’s faithful people are rewarded for their constancy; Christ’s followers are welcomed and restored into the everlasting peaceable kingdom.

            I wish that this healing of the nations would begin today. In my heart, I pray for this throughout the world. Jesus is the cure for all of the present evils on this planet. If only His Church could get its act together and fulfill the role that it was always meant to accomplish: being the Messenger of the Good News and the instrument of Christ’s Peace.

Questions for personal reflection

What areas of unrest in the world truly concern me today? Am I actively praying for peace and healing in those tormented parts of our planet?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, the world is in a sorry state right now, and so much of it has been caused by our own sinful and selfish ways. We pray for Your true peace to be known all over this planet and for the healing of the nations to become an actuality. Please, Lord Jesus, come among us again and let Your powerful presence save us from ourselves. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to make a comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Pentecost stained glass design called “Spirit Guide.” If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the following link: SpiritG.

Peace Devotion - Aid Instead of Arms - 1 Kings 16:20-21

1 Kings 16:20-21        All the people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites), that is, their descendants remaining in the land, whom the Israelites could not exterminate--these Solomon conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is to this day.

            The current explosive situation in Gaza is affecting the entire world politically, economically, and even spiritually. Ever since the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948, Palestinian refugees have posed a large scale humanitarian problem. Prior to 1948, the British maintained the government on a colonial basis which was set up after World War 1. When Britain left the Palestine Protectorate, both the Jordanians and Jews carved territory for themselves, ousting the Palestinians from both sides of the River Jordan.

            War was inevitable between Jews and Arabs, with the Palestinians often being caught in the middle. Bigger Arab States like Syria and Egypt tried to eliminate Israel, but they were beaten back on several occasions by Israeli forces. Throughout the following decades, the situation worsened, which meant that the whole region became ripe for terrorist groups to take over the leadership of the displaced Palestinians.

            Extermination is a terrible word, but the region has experienced it on many occasions. In today’s passage (1 Kings 9:20-28) we sadly read about the extermination of regional peoples and the enslavement of the remnant by the ancient Israelite nation. Throughout the centuries, extermination of the regional people – whether Philistine or Israelite – continued through the barbarism of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Islamists, and Crusaders. Rural Palestinians and Jewish communities were often uprooted, attacked, and slaughtered at the hands of invaders. Sadly, much of the history of the whole Holy Land region has been anything but holy: ‘Inhumanity Land’ may be a more appropriate term.

            So what can we do about the current crisis? What can Christians do to help? Praying for peace helps, but until extremists on both sides lose their power over the masses of the people, the ceasefires will always be broken and the wickedness of war will be prevalent.

            We should choose to be neutral and be wary of propaganda from both conflicting sides. When we pass on unsubstantiated reports or heavily support one side over the other, we are not promoting peace: we are just escalating and expanding the conflict. If we truly follow the Prince of Peace, then we need to do our best not to get caught up in the conflict. Cooler heads and sincere prayers, humanitarian support and expressing the truth are what is needed. Children on both sides of the divide cannot sleep because they are afraid of war, and of one another. That fear escalates into hatred where ignorance, falsehoods, and propaganda are unchecked. As Christians, we need to find a better way than continuing the bitter wickedness.

Questions for personal reflection

What do I truly know and understand about the present conflict between Israelis and Palestinians? Are my sources of information unbiased?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we pray for both the Palestinian and Israeli people. We ask for a cease fire to be resumed quickly and accepted by both sides. We pray for the protection of innocents, as well as for strong compassionate leaders to emerge from both sides who will truly  seek peace instead of war, justice instead of revenge, conciliation instead of conflict. Help us to do whatever we can by seeking truth over propaganda, as well as providing aid instead of arms. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message or ask questions, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s Siochain Celtic Cross. Siochain is an ancient Gaelic word for peace. The cross depicted has the Holy Spirit descending as the Dove of Peace. If you would like to view a larger version, please click the following link: Siochain Cross.