Another Visit from the Prince of Peace Needed Here

As Israel and Hamas enter a period of truce for a few days in Gaza, the loved-ones of the more than 240 hostages being held by the terror group and their allies will be holding their breath. A glimmer of hope breaks over the battlefield like the sun used to rise over the smoking ruins of past European wars to reveal the devastation that war inevitably brings. After the dreadful horrors of October 7th and the incessant pounding of the enclave of Gaza that followed, these few days of peace must seem like a foreign country. Thousands have buried their much loved relatives on both sides, but it may be generations before their hatred and resentment is buried, unless someone or something intervenes.

And that intervention is preciseley why Jesus came. In one of the many ancient prophecies concerning his coming he was called 'the Prince of Peace'. Here is the verse from Isaiah chapter 9:6, 

For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

    Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

So, how can we pray about this terrible conflict in the Middle East? Firstly the Bible urges us to 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem' in Psalm 122:6. This must mean to pray for the leaders involved in making decisions about this war, but also to really pray for the followers of Christ who live on both sides of the conflict - Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians. Then, as we approach Christmas, pray that the Lord will break through the desire for revenge, and the fog of hatred and violence, to bring about some kind of reconciliation, however distant that may seem at the moment.

Those of us who read our Bibles expecting that Jesus Christ will return soon to a world tearing itself apart with wars and rumours of wars, and being shaken by earthquakes and pandemics, are also praying that many millions more will hear the good news, the gospel, about Jesus and by believing be added to his family before he comes. In the words of the last book of the Bible, 'Amen. Come Lord Jesus!'

Dealing with the Hurry Wasp

One day recently I got into my car and turned to drive up the road outside our house in Guernsey and surprisingly joined a queue of cars that appeared to be waiting for something large and slow to come down the hill. After a few minutes of gulping in fumes and fighting my own frustration, down the hill with a gentle clip-clop came the wonderful spectacle of a horse and buggy, with two amiable older gentlemen chatting to one another. Behind them a long line of approaching cars and vans was being forced to slow down and proceed at nineteenth century speed! I feared the worst and thought that someone was going to start sounding their horn, perhaps scaring the poor horse, but I was in for a surprise.

As the procession passed me I wound down my window and switched off my engine just to appreciate the moment more fully. The sweet sound of the horse’s clopping and the gentle rumble of the cartwheels filled my car, together with the friendly banter of the men. For a few seconds I was transported to an earlier quieter age. It was a precious moment of sanity. When I restarted my car and moved on past the approaching line-up of cart-followers, my expectation of angry and frustrated fellow drivers was dispersed. All I got was smiles and kindly looks, with people pointing forward at the lovely anachronism that was hindering their progress. It was as if the apparition from yesteryear was healing something in our crazily hurried culture. It had sutured a wound caused by all our rushing about, even if just for a few moments.

In John Mark Comer’s excellent book ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry’ he points out that Jesus and his band of followers only ever moved about at walking pace and yet they achieved so much in such a short space of time. Jesus also built times of solitude and prayer into his routine and his journeys around first century Israel, often rising before dawn to pray. Perhaps we were never designed to dash about like we do, driven more by deadlines, demands and diesel than by love, hope and peace! Is it realistic to ask us to slow down though? How will we get our work done? We are not ungrateful for the technology that enables us to get through our days, but the gadgets and tools that we once thought would give us more time have actually stolen it like scammers syphoning away our spiritual savings. We may be rich in technological resources, but we have become poorer in spirit.

Two women in the New Testament illustrate this well. One of them was dashing around her kitchen just when Jesus called to have a chat with her and her sister. Martha is described as being ‘distracted by all the preparations that had to be made’ (Luke 10) whereas her sister Mary found space to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what he had to say. When the over-busy Matha moaned to the Lord about her sister not pulling her weight, Jesus chastised her for being worried and upset about many things and reminded her that Mary had chosen what is better – she had elected to be in listening mode. This has to be a choice and takes effort. Finding time for a place of quiet and fellowship with Christ can be restorative and refreshing but is something we need to prioritise if it is to happen at all.

Maybe we all need to wind down our window and switch off our engine from time to time and adopt the listening mode exemplified by Mary. Without it, the hurry wasp will have us swatting the air and dashing about like mad things, perhaps doing plenty but achieving little of lasting value.