battle cry

As I write, war rages throughout our nation. Few, if any, would dispute the reality of the unrest, though there is both passive and vehement disagreement on nearly everything else. Who is the enemy? What is at stake? What is our strategy? How do we engage?

Are we battling disease? Racism? The Establishment? Is this about an election cycle? A people group? Individuals? Are the core issues political? Social? Spiritual?

And, at a personal level, where do I fit within the bigger picture? What do I believe, where do I stand, and what price am I willing to pay?

Always of a reflective nature, I find myself sifting through countless questions, none with easy answers. The divisions are many and glaring: gender, race, age, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, religion, denomination, nationality, worldview … Sometimes it seems there is far more separating us than could ever bring us together.

the ministry of reconciliation

Here is what I believe: the Lord has called me to the ministry of reconciliation. To sit in that uncomfortable, in-between place, and listen. To process and reflect upon all that I am hearing, perhaps to shed light on something previously unseen. To be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. To watch, and to pray, and to bless my Lord from the ground He has given me.

Perhaps you, too, feel called to this, and you’ve been wondering whether your position is valid. Blessed are the peacemakers, Jesus said. I am tempted to think of these first and only as the people with the courage to wade into the worst of the fray, placing themselves between warring factions and brokering for an end to the hostilities. But what if the role of a peacemaker sometimes looks different?

Can courage be offering a calm, reasoned response rather than an impulsive, impassioned reaction? Can peace come through providing support to a friend too entangled in personal turmoil to engage with the woes of the world? Can gentleness and generosity spark a new way forward, even without directly addressing the issues of the day?

I hope so. I pray so. Because, like it or not, all of us have a role to play in this conflict, one that encompasses every dimension of our lives, both seen and unseen. We will be much more effective when we begin to realize that it is very real, and that our unique contributions are vitally important to the outcome.

on the front lines

So today, I pray strength and wisdom and discernment for my brothers and sisters who are called and equipped to serve on the front lines of this fight. Lord, I ask You to empower weak bodies, embolden hearts, and deliver clear, decisive strategy into the spirits of Your chosen warriors. May they speak and act in love and humility, in boldness, and in truth. To them, the things unseen are more real than the things that are visible. Their senses are attuned to the movements of powers and principalities, and they war to see kingdoms rise and fall.

I stand behind them and cheer them on, praying Your protection over their homes, their families, their witness, their very lives. I pray for them as Paul asked his beloved to pray for him: that a door would be opened for them to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, and that, through them, the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored (see Eph. 6:19; Col. 4:3; 2 Thess. 3:1).

one body, many parts

I pray, too, for believers who are reacting far differently to the conflict at hand. I lift up those who—perhaps without realizing its source—are feeling the weight of the fear, the control, the hatred, the violence, the greed, the injustice, the sorrow, and the shame that has been released. Some are lashing out in anger. Some are cowering in terror. Others are struggling with increased anxiety, depression, discouragement, or despair. Some are moved to act through deep compassion, with varying levels of understanding over what’s at stake. Some are overwhelmed by confusion, or distressed by their own helplessness. Some watch and wait; others withdraw. All wonder: what will each new day bring?

For those who are at their limit with seeing, feeling, and reacting to simply what is on the surface, God, I plead Your mercy. These precious souls are ill-equipped to consider the turbulent currents that run beneath. We who see differently must use patience and tenderness as we draw alongside. Like sheep without a shepherd, they are doing only what they know.

They don’t yet realize how their thoughts, words, and actions are sowing seeds into the heavenly places, contributing to the unseen battle between good and evil. Though they may profess to be spiritual, they are aware only of the natural realm. They don’t see how the weight of their prayers and worship could turn the tide of this fight, but Lord! Draw them into prayer and worship anyway, for only here will they find peace.

the most excellent way

It’s undeniable: there is much to divide us. Yet the beauty and strength in the body of Christ lies in what we share. Come now, Holy Spirit, to open the eyes, and stir the hearts, of Your children—male and female; young and old; of every culture, color, and creed—to lift high the name of Jesus today! May we sing it from the rooftops, shout it from the streets. May we whisper it in our prayer closets and weep over it on our knees.

Jesus saves; Jesus sees; Jesus loves. Jesus knows your heart and your story; Jesus holds your brokenness and heals your hurt. Jesus divides and brings together. Jesus tears down and builds back up.

Oh my friends, my sisters and brothers, let us not only speak out but also live out His name among the hostile, the cynical, the doubting and disillusioned! Speak Jesus over the hardened, the indifferent, the enraged. Speak His name over the searching, the timid, the hopeless, the oppressed. There is power, blessing, freedom, and glory in the name of Jesus. Lift Him up today, children of Light!

Do not be surprised when the forces of evil shriek in agony at the sound. Do not fear, though you are hated, mocked, or dismissed for your stand, or when others just don’t understand. Speak LIFE; share hope; be Jesus.

The battle is here—it is not for some future day, some braver or wiser generation—it is now, and all around us. WE—you and I—are the warriors, and the peacemakers. Whatever our age, race, gender, background, or abilities, we are called to stand for goodness, for truth, for beauty. We must choose to love our neighbors and wash the feet of the lost and forgotten. We, who worship our all-wise, unseen Creator, must live in ways that make Him known. We are responsible to teach our children to love the truth and to offer it with grace. We who weep over the world’s brokenness must hold out to it a better Way. We must plead with the Spirit to search our own hearts, to put to death all that is unholy, that we might be born again, new.

Though a very real and powerful enemy seeks to divide us, to distract, silence, and destroy us, we must press ever more firmly into Jesus, finding unity in our shared hope. Our battle cry is simple—at times wordless, forever lived:

May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven …

… and may it begin with me.