The Opening Prayer in my devotional guide struck me this morning. There is a line which reads, “Faith gives us the promise of peace and makes known the demands of love.”
Faith is seen in many differing lights. For some, it is a ticket to heaven. To others, it is the decision one makes for Jesus. This prayer reminds us that faith is an active force in our lives. It is the very presence of God which brings to us the assurance of God’s peace. It is the call from God to never become complacent in our response to that presence.
Perhaps the order of the two clauses is also important. We must have peace before we can truly love.
Peace is more than the absence of conflict. Tracing back to the Hebrew word, shalom, it is the complete and total assurance that things are as God would want them to be. It includes good health and harmony within family. It involves financial stability. Without peace in our lives, without a basic confidence that things are well with us, it is difficult to move on to other things. Faith gives us this promise.
With a solid foundation, built upon our God, we are able to look beyond ourselves. We are able to love others. Again, the prayer reminds us that loving is not simple and it is not always easy. Faith makes known to us the demands of love.
God’s love for us demanded a death upon the cross. Loving as Christ first loved us demands that we actively seek out those in need and that we respond. I am taken back to the fall retreat when one of the participants commented, “We go to worship on Sunday and we say these prayers and then we go on our merry way” (paraphrased.) Praying to the God in whom our faith has given us peace demands that we love not only in words but in deeds.
“Faith gives us the promise of peace and makes known the demands of love.”
Yes, it does.
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