The Peace Monument in Washington DC, pictured above, has two elements of note. First, it is actually a war memorial dedicated to the men who served in the Union Navy during the Civil War. Second, the type of marble used is unsuited for outdoor display, thus requiring constant maintenance and repair.
Right now, peace is a scarce commodity. There is no peace in household budgets squeezed to the breaking point by food and gas prices. Nor is there peace in the political landscape, one laced with assassination attempts and deliberate malfeasance by political leaders and media alike in the desperate pursuit of power above all and over all. We are drowning in an acidic sea of corrosive lies told by lying liars. Finding peace amid these political storms is challenging for even the most faithful.
The Roman military theoretician Vegetius popularized the expression, “If you want peace, prepare for war.” There is a Biblical equivalent to this in Luke:
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.
Even as there have been times throughout history when it has been necessary for a nation to engage in war to reestablish peace, every individual must continuously strengthen his or herself to confront the onslaught properly. This is why I’ve recorded a special edition of my Cephas Hour podcast containing, alongside the standard musical bit of the finest in Christian rock and pop from then and now, straight Scripture readings for reassurance and encouragement.
The podcast is available on demand on its website and is available through most podcast feed services except Spotify. I hope it helps.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.Psalm 34:17-18
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:7
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:28-29
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
For you, God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.Psalm 61:1-5
The Lord reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.Psalm 9:7-10
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Colossians 2:13-15
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.Psalm 42:5
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:51-57
On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”Isaiah 25:6-9
