Wake Up, Look Up

Hello, everyone. Thanks for listening to Wake Up, Look Up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Zach Weihrauch and in today's episode, we're asking the question, why don't I pray for peace now? This is prompted by an article I read in the New York Times this week looking at kind, uh, of ongoing peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Uh, this is a military conflict, a war that's been going on for now almost two years. And the United States is getting involved in mediation with President Trump proposing a 20 point peace plan that goes through the release of Israeli hostages, uh, of where the lines will be drawn for Gaza. Who can participate in the political leadership of Gaza? There's a lot of moving parts here and it's a complicated thing. And as I record this episode, I really don't know what the likelihood of an agreement being reached is. And I'm certainly not pretending to be an expert on foreign relations or the Mid east in general. But I will say this. When I read this article, I have to admit that this is a story, Israel and Hamas, Gaza, the hostages, that has really dominated the news for two years. I mean, there are times, as someone who reads a lot of news for this podcast, where just about every article on the front page of a news organization's website is about something related to this conflict. It can lead to a kind of fatigue, a kind of numbness. And one of the things that struck me as I read about peace negotiations is that I have not actively been praying for peace in this part of the world. And I think that's because, a, um, I'm fatigued by the story and B, it's a long ways away and I'm just not living out that reality every day. And I don't know if you feel the same way, but actually the Bible has a lot to say about peace and about even my participation in the pursuit of peace in our world. So let me share with you kind of the thoughts of my own heart as I think about my lack of prayer on this issue. Let's start with this. Uh, Jesus says In Matthew, chapter 5, verse 9, Blessed are the peacemakers. In other words, he's rolling out the kind of people who he calls blessed, who he calls happy, people who are poor in spirit, people who mourn over their sin. And one of those is people who pursue peace. Now, that probably mostly applies to my own relationships. Am I pursuing peace in my marriage? Am I pursuing peace and my friendships in my community? But certainly it is describing a heart posture for peace so that anywhere I see conflict, my desire is for peace. Uh, and not a false peace or a cheap peace, not even peace at all costs, but peace nonetheless. That my immediate response to stories about military conflicts in Israel, in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Russia, in Africa, and anywhere in the world should be to desire peace. The other part of that is a heartbrokenness over those who don't have peace. Galatians 6:2 says that we should carry one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. As a Christian, I cannot content myself with my own problems. There's a call in my life to bear up under the burdens of other people, especially those who are believers, many of whom live in Israel, many of them who live in Gaza, live in Ukraine, live in Russia, live in places all over the world where conflict is happening. It doesn't matter if the conflict is at my doorstep. And I have to admit that oftentimes stories involving my own community and my own country consistently leapfrog stories of devastation in other parts of the world. That's not okay. I'm a burden carrier as a follower of Christ now, uh, I can't solve the problem, but I can do this. Ephesians 6:18 says to pray in the spirit on all occasions, which means the response to wanting peiece in parts of the world where they don't have it in bearing up under that burden is to become a person of intercessory prayer, prayer on behalf of another person for the parts of the world that are being devastated. The news should inform my prayer life. And it, it really hasn't been doing that enough as it relates to military conflict. It's a reminder too, that when I pray for other parts of the world, I'm joining God in his concern for them. Keep in mind that 1 John 2:2 says that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Revelation 5 says that in the throne room of God, there are people from every tribe and every tongue in every nation. God is global. God is a people gatherer. He cares about what's happening in every part of the world, and so also should I. We live in an information age. Hey, don't even let me make this about you. I live in an information age, which means I know more about what's happening in the world than anyone has ever known in the history of the world, which means my prayers should be more informed than ever. Uh, and I have been giving myself excuses that I'm no longer gonna give myself. Would you join me in praying for peace all over the world, for the glory of God, for the good of our neighbors, and for the pursuit of the Kingdom of Jesus, who is, I might add, the Prince of Peace. Hey, thanks for watching this episode of Wake Up, Look Up. If you enjoyed it, please help us get the word out by sharing it with someone you think might benefit from it. And while you're here, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get further content or even download the CCC app, where you'll find even more resources to help you grow in your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Have an article you’d like Zach to discuss? Email us at wakeup@ccchapel.com!