A few Sundays ago, a kind and thoughtful person brought to our church worship service an abundance of sunflowers for us to take home as a reminder to pray and take action for peace in Ukraine. On numerous days, there has been a man standing along a major Tucson thoroughfare with a handmade poster that reads, “Pray for Ukraine.” I see many on social media calling for prayers for peace in Ukraine.
When we say we are praying for peace or praying for Ukraine, what are we intending or expecting? People have been offering prayers for peace, and yet, at the time of this writing, Russia continues to bomb civilian targets and wages a war of terror on the citizens of this sovereign nation.
What do you think it means to pray for others? I heard Rob Bell, author and pastor, critique the way many Christians think about prayer. “We are petitioning a reluctant God to do what God should already be doing.” Bell understands that prayer is not first and foremost about changing circumstances or changing other people, but rather changing the person who is praying. We pray to be transformed and to be an agent of God’s transforming love, justice and hope in the world.
It is good to pray whatever is on our hearts and minds. We can pray that peace would come, that minds and hearts would change, and that wars would cease. At the same time, when we pray for peace in Ukraine, we can also seek to hear God’s desire for how we might be instruments of peace. We might ask God, “What can I do to be part of peace in Ukraine? Peace on earth? What can I do to heal suffering and to bring compassion and care? How might I share my resources to be of service?” In this we are asking how we could be part of God’s answer to prayer. We are not petitioning a reluctant God to take care of something apart from us; rather we are seeking to participate in God’s healing, justice, and love that God is already offering to us and through us. Such prayer that listens sincerely for how God is still speaking and is offered with intention to be the change we wish to see in the world brings forth action that transforms us and the world through us.
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