Learn of me and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit and you shall have peace in me.

[Excerpted from Live Christ’s Peace by Rick Maupin, Herald House Publishing, 2013, pp. 5–6]

I traveled to Liberia in 2005. The civil war was over, but reminders of it were everywhere. Pockmarks left by artillery shells riddled buildings in Monrovia. Some buildings were uninhabitable. Large convoys of United Nations peacekeepers in heavily armored equipment rolled through the streets.

While there, I met a young man who was a survivor of the civil war. Later, he brought me a small sheaf of papers. He asked if I could take what he had written, enter it on a computer, make corrections, and send it back to him. Then he began to tell me his story.

The young man told of the atrocities inflicted on him and his family during the civil war. He shared how some family members suffered abuse in brutal ways; others were killed. He described being taken captive and treated like a slave. There was little or no consideration for his worth as a human being. As I heard this story, I began to imagine how this young man must hold deep anger—even hatred—for those who had committed these heinous acts.

However, my conclusions were wrong. I discovered he had embraced the peace of Jesus Christ. This peace became the lens through which he saw the world. Because of the peace of Christ in his life, he did not hate. He did not old pent-up anger. He viewed the world through a changed perspective as he embraced Christ’s peace. Embracing and experiencing Christ’s peace and taking on the mind and life of Christ provide us with a new view of the world.

Prayer Phrase

“Do not be afraid, for I am your God…” (Isaiah 41:10).

Voices of God

What is the voice of God saying to us? Do we hear the whispers of God’s longing for shalom; God’s dream of beauty and wholeness for all creation? Do we hear the “voice” of God calling to us in faces and eyes, in the sounds of suffering and joy, in scripture and sacred word, in tears and laughter, in silence and noise? Spend a few moments reflecting on when and how God’s voice speaks to you. When did you first feel called to join God in the pursuit of peace and justice? How does the call of shalom continue to come to you through the many “voices” of God?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.