Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, September 3, 2019
by Daniel D. Maurer, Clergy Stuff
One of the more well-known, touching stories of humanity’s humanity during wartime was the unofficial armistice on Christmas Day in 1914. According to accounts, soldiers from both sides, and all over the frontline, began pouring out of the trenches to greet and break bread with the enemy.
Nowadays some say that this could never happen again. In a world where people from both sides disrespect each other’s beliefs, it’s difficult to imagine that a heated battle would provide a restful joy on the frontline.
Mostly because, today, there is no front line. Today, war is waged on the street and in the sneaky tactics of placing IEDs in old shoes alongside a roadway.
But reality often reflects very little of what God’s will ought to be. Or even what God has commanded to be.
It’s easy to become cynical. I think one point we ought never forget is that God’s desire is never to hurt others. Yes, sometimes we need war to prevent evil. But however much we struggle to stop fighting, the real key to peace is within the hearts of our enemies.
For, they, too, are human beings.
Grant your servants rest from war, O God. May I be an instrument of your peace. Amen.
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