Praying for world peace…. ?
Today I spoke to someone who asked if I wanted to pray with her for “World Peace”.
World peace… you hear it every time at the Miss World Competition when they get to give their speech on what they wish.
There is only one “little” problem with world peace…
The Bible nowhere states that this world will be a peaceful and trouble-free place that we all seek. Nowhere. On the contrary. God had made the world perfect(!), but once again we wanted to know better than Him (Adam, Eve, “apple” story) and then God promises this:
To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Genesis 3:16-19
That doesn’t sound like a peaceful world… on the contrary…. If we look at the New Testament, it also says this:
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Matthew 24:6
A little bit harder?
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
Matthew 10:34-36
Did Jesus mean this literally? No. Jesus “sword” was never a literal sword. When Peter took up a sword to defend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus rebuked him and told him to put away his sword, “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. (Matthew 26:52). Then why did Jesus say the above? What kind of sword did Jesus bring?
One of Jesus’ nicknames is that of “Prince of Peace”. (Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:14 and John 14:27) Jesus came to bring peace, but that peace is between man and God. Those who reject God and the only way to salvation through Jesus (John 14:6) will be at constant war with God. But those who come to Him in repentance will find peace with God.
So there will be conflicts between good and evil, the Christ and the antichrist, the light and the darkness, the children of God (believers) and the children of the devil (those who refuse Christ). And this can also happen within a family where some believe and others do not. We should try to have peace with all people, but we should never forget that Jesus warned that we will be hated for His sake.
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
John 15:18
As a result of Jesus’ arrival on the earth, some children would turn against their parents, and the enemies could be in your own household. This is because many who choose to follow Christ are hated by their family members. This is part of discipleship, for the love of family should not be greater than the love of God. A true disciple must take up his cross and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24). You must be willing to face not only family hatred, but also death, like a criminal carrying his cross to his own execution. True followers of Christ must be willing to give up everything, even to the point of “hating” everything in our lives, even our own family, if we want to be worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37-39).
In other words… until Christ returns to bring the current age to an end and establish His perfect rule of righteousness and peace, there will be no world peace. Never.
And then we can pray together whether God will bring that, but it is a meaningless prayer. Praying for world peace brings nothing… it is a prayer that may give hope, but it is a false hope. And in any case, I will not pray a prayer with false hope with anyone… But yes… that world peace, in all honesty, we would like that! (I certainly do!)
But there is good news! There will come a time when there will be no more war. No pain, no misery:
He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Isaiah 2:4
So what do we pray for?
I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.
John 17:9
And this wasn’t just anyone who said that, this was said by Jesus in His The High Priestly Prayer (John 17).
And what else can (and should) you do at a time when war is literally just around the corner? Where do you get your hope from?
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:1-4
Promoting world peace, praying for it, no matter how hard we try, it will never come, it is not biblical. The only one who can bring world peace is Christ. And that world peace will only come when Christ returns. Not a minute earlier. While giving to charity, promoting tolerance and sharing is absolutely(!) good, we must do so in the name of Jesus, knowing that He alone will be the bringer of world peace.
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:10-11
So I did that together with her. Prayers for our government, prayers that we can live in peace with the people around us, prayers for all brothers and sisters who are having a very, very difficult time and prayers that everyone, without exception, may come to Him… because who knows… . Christ can return tomorrow… and then finally (for everyone who believes in Him) there will be that world peace that we all yearn for… preferably today if possible…
