Blessed Are The Peacemakers

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS

a prayer to open

Give me eyes to see, Lord—

to see your Kingdom, your heart, your love. Give me eyes to see.

Jesus’ audience would have understood peace to mean much more than what we understand it to mean today. He was calling to mind the rich Jewish concept of shalom. Shalom is a Hebrew word that means wholeness and describes the status of people living in harmony with one another. Of course, Jesus was the ultimate peacemaker, who, through great sacrifice, reconciled us with the Father and moves us toward wholeness and healing. The peacemakers of our world are those who help us move toward shalom—toward harmony and unity. But peacemaking is not for the faint of heart. It involves bridging gaps caused by acts of war and violence, betrayal and abandonment, and a lack of understanding and compassion. Making peace in our own relationships often means giving up our desire for vengeance or our need to be vindicated. But as we become peacemakers, Jesus says, we will be called children of God.

• When you think of a lack of peace in the world today, what comes to mind? What role might you play in being a peacemaker in that area?
• Consider Jesus’ words as they apply in your life. Where is peace reigning, and where is it lacking? In the relationships in which shalom is lacking, what part have you played to foster or cause the absence of peace?
• Take a moment in silence, remembering you are in God’s loving presence, and ask him to bring to mind any relationships in your life in which brokenness instead of wholeness prevails. As you consider what it would take for you to move toward shalom, what resistance do you feel? What sacrifice would be required?

Father, thank you for Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Thank you that at such high cost, he reconciled me to you so that I can partake of your peace and receive healing. Often it is the absence of peace that reigns, in both my soul and my relationships. The sacrifice of my ego or position or plans seems too great much of the time. But it is because my grip on the things of this world is tight, and my eyes have been seduced by a competing kingdom. To pursue your peace, I need your heart, your eyes, and your desires. Transform me and show me the path to peace. Amen.