Instruments Of Peace

Isaiah 61:1-3

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. (Isaiah 61:3)

AN ANONYMOUS PRAYER ATTRIBUTED to Francis of Assisi asks God to make the supplicant an instrument of his peace—to sow love in place of hatred, pardon in place of injury, faith in place of doubt, hope in place of despair, and so on. It echoes the thoughts of Jesus’ mission statement in Luke 4, when he read a messianic passage from the scroll of Isaiah. And it takes seriously the idea that the messianic mission was not uniquely applied to Jesus, but that it carries over into the lives of his followers. After all, Jesus sent his disciples out to do what he had demonstrated for them. The mission was meant to continue.

That means we are to become ambassadors of shalom, carriers of the climate of God’s Kingdom, instruments of God’s peace, just as the “Prayer of Saint Francis” requests. We take light into dark places, joy into situations of sadness, and life into every environment that reeks of death. It isn’t an easy mission, but it’s at the cutting edge of God’s Kingdom in a world that long ago rebelled and attempted to secede. It’s the only way to invest our lives in eternity rather than spending them on the moment. It’s how we partner with God in his redemptive work.

In the verses following the messianic mission that Jesus quoted, Isaiah writes that God gives beauty instead of ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. We long for him to rebuild our lives from the devastations and disappointments we’ve experienced, and these promises assure us that he will. But they also call us into the rebuilding work to be agents of beauty, joy, and praise. When we realize that, everything changes. We have a dramatic impact on the lives around us and bear the eternal fruit of God’s Kingdom. And we become the answer to our own prayer—and to the prayers of others who long for their redemption.

{Lord, I do pray that you would make me an instrument of your peace—and your light, your beauty, your joy, your forgiveness, and so much more. Fill me with the blessings of your Kingdom and use me to bless many others. Amen.