Praying for Peace
December 23, 2007 by Lillie
I found the link to Chaplain Pat McLaughlin’s Web site in this week’s Adopt-a-Chaplain e-newsletter. As you know from previous posts, I’m a supporter of Adopt-a-Chaplain.
Chaplain McLaughlin writes a weekly column: Life from the Front Row. His article for December 10, 2007 (you have to scroll down the page – individual articles aren’t linked) was profound.
Would anything happen if every Christian in the United States prayed for peace every day for the next year? That’s in excess of 200 million people praying for the same goal. …
At what point did we meet a critical mass where prayer would affect the outcome of world events? Sadly, I don’t worry about any of those scenarios of prayer and social engagement for several reasons. First of all, people aren’t very good at all about praying every day. Secondly, you couldn’t get that many Christians to agree on anything – even something as simple as peace. … They’d claim to be Christians, but not act like one for the sake of peace!
So, one year from now I’m willing to bet all my paychecks between now and then that we’ll still be at war. I firmly believe that if you could get every Christian in the United States to pray for peace every day for a year that there would definitely be a change. And here’s the gas…it wouldn’t cost any one of us the first penny to do so. In the meantime soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, Iraqi forces, civilians of both countries will die. There is no arguing that.
… I bet you if every Christian in the United States had to walk a mile in my combat boots that they’d pray for peace and we’d have peace.
As a Christian who believes in the power of prayer, I will be praying for peace. Will you join me? May the promise of the Christmas angels of “Peace on earth, good will to men” be fulfilled with the help of our diligent prayers!
[tags]peace, Adopt-a-Chaplain[/tags]
You give us a lot to think about, Lillie. It doesn’t seem that church folk tend to agree on much, that’s for sure! You are right, though. If it were us walking in those combat boots, traipsing through a war zone, we’d be praying for peace… It’s sad that empathy is not found in many people anymore.
I’m not sure how 200 million – or any other number – of people praying for the same goal, peace or anything else, will change things going on in the world…? But if you could get that many people to agree and take action … 2/3 of the American population writing their representatives on a regular basis would force a change in our leaders’ behavior.
Chaplain McLaughlin’s comments really struck a chord with me, Michele. I hope they make a lot of us think … and start praying!
Forrest,
I certainly concur that people should become actively involved in government.
But as a Christian, I also believe that prayer makes a difference.