Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths. Their roads they have made crooked; no one who walks in them knows peace.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, June 24, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Peace is another one of those concepts that’s hard to nail down. For the most part, we associate it with tranquility, quiet, the absence of conflict. That’s the more pleasant, easily digestible definition. But there is another definition that runs counter to this, which says that peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice. In which case, peace is not at all about tranquility or quiet, but about speaking truth to power, standing up for our oppressed neighbors, working for change in our systems and our culture. Few things sound less peaceful than that, and yet this definition of peace hews closer to Isaiah’s understanding of peace than the mere lack of conflict.
That being said, as with most things, there is a both/and in play. God’s peace is also associated with rest, something we all need. Thus while we are called to strive for peace which is God’s justice, we are also called into the peace that comes with allowing ourselves to relax into God’s loving arms and trust that our efforts will not be in vain because ultimately, God’s got this.
How do I define “peace?” What things bring me peace in my day to day life?
