The Blessing Of Peace

The Blessing Of Peace

My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. Proverbs 4:10

God has a funny way of answering our prayers. My wife, Karen, used to pray for our children that God would use them for his Kingdom in the uttermost parts of the world. Now that they’re all grown, I remind her of that prayer every time I have to buy a plane ticket to visit them.

Our eldest, Kristen, fell in love with a young man from Northern Ireland—which, as you probably know, has been a place of unrest for hundreds of years. Though the conflict is often depicted as a war between Catholics and Protestants, it seems they are really fighting for power, not religion. Both sides want to control the land and the government. Unfortunately, at times those power struggles have led to armed conflict.

As we landed in Ireland for Kristin’s wedding, I thought about the history of violence in her new home country. As part of the wedding ceremony, we set aside time to pray—not only for the region, but also for the safety of our daughter, our new son-in-law, and his family. But most of all, we prayed for peace. At the time, I had no idea how quickly God would answer that prayer or how he would eventually answer it twice.

The next day, as we said our good-byes to Kristen and David and boarded the plane back to America, the BBC announced the withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland. Peace soon followed. It was an answer to the prayers we had prayed just the day before.

Seven years later, on my birthday, God answered our prayers for peace again when Kristen gave me a very special gift—my first grandchild. They named him Callum, which means peace.

Today’s proverb comes with a promise. If we will listen to God and do as he says, we will have a long and good life. This verse has been repeated down through the generations of my family.

TODAY’S RX

Today, I leave you with a traditional Irish blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields

and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Lord, please restore peace where there is unrest in this world, and protect all who have put their trust in you.