Dash of Thought November 2024

A prayer
 
God of peace,
In my devotional time, I read the book of the prophet Isaiah.
In the second chapter, I come across the great vision of the pilgrimage of the nations to Mount Zion, from where justice and peace are to emanate:
Many peoples will come and say:
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob!
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not
take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
I see the Middle East before me, the people there, and especially the violence of the last 13 months and its consequences:
The horrific terrorist attack by Hamas militants on civilians in Israel,
the murder and abduction of women and men,
the associated fear and suffering of the Israeli population;
the reaction of the Israeli government, which has led to the deaths of thousands of people in Gaza,
to displacement, to the destruction of entire neighborhoods, to enormous suffering;
the escalation of violence through the involvement of other parties;
the powerful, who make world politics behind the scenes and often pursue their own interests;
the anti-Semitism that has flared up again in many places around the world. -
God of Isaiah and this world,
How can this inhuman violence be stopped?
How can peace be achieved?
The vision of Isaiah, your promise - have you forgotten it?
God of peace, create peace, your peace!
Move the hearts of the powerful and responsible,
that they turn their gaze to you,
that they seek you and your mercy,
that they are guided by you and your will,
that they go your way as peacemakers.
And move my heart so that I too may follow Isaiah's call:
Let us walk in the light of the Lord!
Amen.
 
 
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