“I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war” (Psalm 120:7).
“I don’t agree with those who plunge headlong into the middle of a [fight], accepting a turbulent life… The wise person will endure that, but he won’t choose it—choosing to make peace, rather than war” (Seneca, Moral Letters).
Some folks love a good fight, but peacemaking, Seneca’s bottom line, is, or should be, the hallmark of God’s children: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they (and they alone) shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).
That’s an attitude that’s sadly lacking in political discourse these days, even among the sons of God: Acrimony is often the rule. Certainly, there are good reasons to be morally outraged at the actions of evil men and women, but our part is to let God deal with evildoers and look for ways to make peace.
Peacemaking begins with small stuff—reminding ourselves of our Lord’s command to love and pray for those who oppose us; resisting the temptation “to take up a reproach (an insulting remark) against a neighbor” (Psalm 15:3); responding to fear and fear-mongering with quiet assurance; listening, listening, listening; asking questions; refusing to talk over one another; returning soft answers to wrath. These are the savory reactions of grace, sprinklings of salt, if you will (Colossians 4:6), the missing element in most political conversation these days.
This is not a call to moralize, but to listen prayerfully to others in order to understand the discomfort and frustration they feel. And then to pray or speak a word “in season”—when it’s appropriate to do so (Isaiah 50:4). Sometimes, it’s best to be silent.
Peacemaking, like almost everything else in the world, begins in our hearts and rests fully on our Lord’s becalming word: “Be still (at peace) and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
David Roper
2.7.21
