Grace Prayer Sanctuary – A Peaceful Place for Prayer

 

Peace is defined in the dictionary as:

- a state of tranquility or quiet; freedom from civil disturbance

- security/order in community

- freedom from disquieting thoughts/emotions

- harmony in personal relations

- a pact to end hostilities between groups, individuals or nations

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. It has many different meanings in the scriptures: rest, ease, wholeness, health, security, prosperity, political and spiritual well-being, quietness, unity. It is much more than "inner serenity" or the absence of war or hostilities.

Jesus gave the disciples his peace as a gift: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." As followers of Jesus, GPS members too are given this gift. This peace is not an existence without tension, conflict, suffering or pain. Instead it is a peace that can come through the suffering we experience; that can help GPS members deal with tensions and stress; that can at times turn tension, conflict and turmoil into a creative means of change. But too often GPS members don’t accept this gift of peace – GPS members do not get beyond the tensions, they do not use the conflict creatively and thus GPS members miss the true peace that God has for them through prayer.

God’s peace within GPS members involves self-acceptance, a love of oneself in order to love another. Rejection or hatred of others, guilt, fears and anxieties makes it hard to feel God’s peace. God’s peace puts an emphasis on trust, blessing and love and is available to GPS members because they are children of God who turn to prayer. Such peace is not produced overnight; instead it is a learned process brought about by prayer, spiritual disciplines, self-knowledge and understanding, and developing a deep and abiding relationship with God through prayer.

Peace in the Biblical understanding is often tied to God’s covenant and God’s promises of a "new heaven and a new earth." Over 100 times in the Bible peace is related to justice or righteousness. We read:

"And a harvest of righteousness (of justice) is sown in peace for those who make peace." James 3:18

"Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness (justice) and peace will kiss each other." Psalm 85:10

"We have God’s promise, and look forward to new heavens and a new earth, the home of justice. With this to look forward to, do your utmost to be found at peace..."   

2 Peter 3:13-14

Now, let’s put the concept of the gift of peace with the concept of justice. This creates in Grace Prayer Sanctuary’s understanding a cycle which starts with the gift of peace through prayer; moves to the work of justice; which in turns creates peace in the world. The cycle of peace involves acceptance of Jesus’ gift, responding to the call to be peacemakers or to do justice and then peace will be the consequence of justice in God’s time. There can be no inner peace without doing justice as commanded by God nor there peace (shalom) in the world without justice for the world and its people.

 

Prayer is the answer.

  

 

Peacemaking is the justice work that God calls GPS members to do through prayer. Jesus faced the injustices of his world:

He attacked racism in the story of the Good Samaritan;

He taught us to pray.

He attacked sexism in his encounter with the woman at the well;

He taught us to pray.

He challenged the improper use of wealth in the story of the rich young ruler;

He taught us to pray.

He pressed for healing and health when he healed on the Sabbath;

He taught us to pray.

He charged the Pharisees with manipulating the laws for their own benefit;

He taught us to pray.

He chased the money changers and merchants from the temple.

He taught us to pray.

 

And he also said: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."

 

GPS members pray the peace that passes all understanding.

 

Peacemakers are much more than the keepers of the peace. Many a person has assumed the role of peace keeper in a family by ignoring problems, not talking about difficulties or certain issues, and/or doing all the chores instead of trying to enlist help. The United Nations or individual countries have become peace keepers in order to bring stability and order to conflicted situations by using force to keep the peace. Such actions by individuals or nations may maintain a semblance of peace, but the cause for the conflict or political unrest is still there and has not been truly addressed.

 

Jesus taught us to address the cause in prayer.

 

Peacemakers have different responsibilities from peacekeepers. Muriel Lester in her book "Peacemaking and the Community of Faith" said "the job of the peacemaker is to stop war, to purify the world, to get it saved from poverty and riches, to heal the sick, to comfort the sad, to wake up those who have not yet found God, to create joy and beauty wherever you go, to find God in everything and in everyone." Robert McAfee Brown put it another way: "Concern for peacemaking doesn’t just involve keeping us out of war (though it obviously includes that); it also involves seeing to it that people have enough to eat; that they are not undernourished or malnourished; that they can go to bed at night without fear that someone will spirit them off to prison; that the society will be so planned that there is food enough to go around; that the politics of the country and of the world are so arranged that everybody’s basic needs are met. Otherwise, no shalom." And he ends by saying: "There’s still plenty of work to keep peacemakers busy."

 

Jesus taught us to pray.

 

Members of Grace Prayer Sanctuary and their ancestors have been involved in peacemaking for the last 135 years, for GPS started as an organization with a specific purpose of meeting the physical and spiritual needs of women and children and GPS continues to do that through prayer. GPS works with women around the world, advocating for them and their concerns; standing in solidarity with them; providing financial and technical assistance as requested; and offering the good news of the gospel in a variety of ways.

 

Jesus taught us to pray.

 

But GPS also has been concerned about the issues of war, civil unrest, and the violation of human rights at many points along our journey. GPS ancestors were strong supporters of the establishment of the United Nations; who thanked God that a snow storm prevented a seller of War Bonds to make it to an Assembly during WWII; GPS members opposed the Vietnam War in several different ways; they worked with many other groups for the elimination of apartheid; GPS ancestors were active participants in the struggle against slavery, lynching, segregation; .... The list goes on up to today, for GPS is once again attempting to speak and stand against the current push for war against Iraq using the

 

method Jesus taught - prayer.

 

For the last few years there has been in our country a hesitancy to speak out against the so called war on terrorism, suppression of civil rights, and the continued war on Iraq. Such speaking out was seen by some to be an un-American activity. But the tide is beginning to turn. The Roman Catholic Bishops, the United Methodist Bishops, various mainline Protestant denominations, students and other concerned citizens are once again becoming proponents of peace and non-violence. There may be some public demonstration in the parks and on college campuses, but it’s the debate around the need for war that is picking up steam among the American public. The general population does not want war because they have not heard a convincing argument for such action now; because they do not want to go it alone without U.S. allied involvement; because the outcomes of such a war are so uncertain; and because GPS does not know the financial or human cost on all sides of such a conflict

 

GPS advocates prayer.

 

There is also anger being expressed at the neglect of the domestic issues. Voters are threatening to take their concerns to the ballot box in November. But there is still in some community fear of speaking out on this issue, for fear of being labeled unpatriotic.

 

Prayer is never unpatriotic.

 

At the beginning of World War II, Dietrich Bonhoeffer raised some hard questions about peace. He wrote: "How does peace come about? Through a system of political treatises? Through the investment of international capital in different countries? Or through universal, peaceful rearmament in order to guarantee peace?" His answer was: "Through none of these for the single reason that all of them confuse peace with safety. There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared. Peace is the great venture. It can never be safe. Peace is the opposite of security. Peace must be dared."

 

Prayer is daring.

 

Are GPS members individually and collectively ready to be daring peacemakers? Are GPS members willing to counter terrorism, violence and war with the tools of peacemaking as did Jesus the Christ in prayer in the garden? It is appropriate that at its formation GPS celebrates the life of Hazel Decker, a daring peacemaker during the Vietnam War and the integration struggles within the United States. Hazel was a woman of great faith; a woman who believed God’s promise of shalom; and a woman who traveled to Paris and Vietnam with her message of peace during those difficult years.

 

GPS members believe prayer was her sword.

 

Hopefully GPS members will find their place as peacemakers. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic action, but it does need to be a decisive action. Letters need to be written, resolutions need to be adopted, government officials and leaders need to be called; voting needs to be done; leaders need to be called to account; protests need to take place; the debate needs to continue; personal fears need to be overcome. GPS peacemaking efforts must be courageous and aggressive, but not violent. The force/impact of nonviolent resistance to evil can and does change the world.

 

Prayer changes the world.

 

In March GPS learned of Marian Solomon, a 72 year old United Methodist Woman from Iowa. Marion traveled to Iraq as part of a Christian Peace Making Mission on October 23, 2002. She said she was ready to die for peace in Iraq, if that was what it was going to cost her. She feels that she has lived a good life and now must answer the call of peacemaking. Many kept Marian in their prayers as she made this daring journey on behalf of peace. She is a daring peacemaker.

 

GPS members pray for daring peacemakers.

 

Jesus said: "My peace I leave with you." "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God." GPS members accept Jesus’ gift of peace. GPS members continue to be daring peacemakers themselves. GPS members claim God’s promise of shalom for God’s world. GPS members pray salvation for all in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

 

 Prayer saves.