Tuesday night, a collective sigh exhaled around the world. During a fragile two-week truce, bombs will not fall.
Christians know this world is not our home, even if our creature comforts tempt us to forget. And, though earth is a temporary stopover, God reveals an attitude and an action that will stand us in good stead during our sojourn here.
Like us, the Israelites were captives in a strange land. They longed to go home, but in Jeremiah 29:4-7, God told them what they didn’t want to hear: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens… marry and have sons and daughters.” In other words, make yourself at home because you’ll be here for a while. God knew how long the Jews would be in exile, just as He knows how long we will be here before Jesus returns. Then He added a caveat for them, and for us:
“Increase in number there; do not decrease.”
As long as we have breath, we are to grow and not diminish; become more, not less; gain strength, not become weak. And then God gave them a plan of action:
“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.
Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
This is why I pray for peace in America, for Godliness to prevail, and for faith to prosper.
In closing, I share a prayer I found on FB, posted by Chad Prather before the truce was declared. May it encourage your own prayers for peace and prosperity while we dwell in this alien home.
Father in heaven,
We come before You in this moment, not as people shaken by the noise of the world, but as citizens of a Kingdom that cannot be moved. You are enthroned above every nation, every ruler, every headline, and every decision made by human hands. Your Word declares that the heart of the king is in Your hand, and You turn it wherever You will.
So we ask You now, not in fear, but in faith:
Let Your Kingdom come. Let Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Even in the midst of flawed leadership, confusion, and unrest, we ask that Your purposes would not be hindered. Advance Your Kingdom through Your people. Let the gospel run swiftly. Let truth rise. Let righteousness stand. Let light break through every shadow.
Lord, remind us that You are not reacting to history, You are writing it.
Where men make decisions in pride, establish Your wisdom. Where there is injustice, bring Your justice. Where there is division, release Your peace. Where there is deception, let truth be revealed.
And in us, Your people, anchor our hearts.
Teach us to live with eternal vision. Your Word says our life is a vapor, here for a moment and gone. So fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. Let us live in a way that echoes into eternity, faithful, bold, unshaken.
Give us peace that surpasses understanding. Not peace because circumstances are stable, but peace because You are sovereign.
Remind us that Christ has already overcome the world. That the cross was not defeat, but victory. That the resurrection was not a possibility, but a declaration that Your purposes cannot fail.
So we stand today with confidence: Your Kingdom will advance. Your purposes in Christ will prevail. Your glory will fill the earth.
Keep us faithful in the meantime. Watchful. Prayerful. Steady. Let us be found doing Your will when You return.
We trust You. We rest in You. We follow You.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our King, Amen.
BARBARA HIGBY 