“They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” - Isaiah 11:9 (ESV)
Once again, the world finds itself standing at the edge of a widening war. In recent days, the escalation of violence involving Iran has deepened fear across the Middle East and far beyond it. While many understandably long for freedom and justice for the Iranian people after decades marked by cruelty and repression, we must also acknowledge the terrible human cost that war inevitably brings. We have seen this playbook before, and we know where it leads. Too often, wars are provoked by the powerful, while the weak and the vulnerable bear the heaviest burden of the suffering that follows.
We know the human cost of war only too intimately. The toll of war is so often borne by the innocent; people already suffering and dying in a conflict not of their own making. It is the poor who flee with little more than what they can carry. It is children whose lives are interrupted by the sounds of sirens and bombs. It is families whose homes, livelihoods, and futures are reduced to rubble. My heart weeps for the parents who must bury their children, for the families of soldiers who will not see their loved ones return home, and for the communities on every side that are shattered by the relentless drumbeat of death and destruction.
As Christians, as people of faith, we cannot look upon the devastation of war with indifference. We cannot simply turn away, untouched by the horrors of violence carried out in our name. And in the pursuit of justice, we must never abandon the pursuit of peace. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers.
In moments like these, we are reminded that God’s vision for the world is not one of endless conflict. The prophet Isaiah dared to imagine a day when “they shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain,” when the earth itself would be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. It is a vision where the instruments of war are laid down, where the vulnerable are no longer trampled by the ambitions of the powerful, and where God’s people dwell together without harming or destroying one another.
In this season of uncertainty, we are called not to despair but to hope, hope grounded in the God who brings life even out of the valley of the shadow of death. The old African American spiritual tells a truth we too often forget: “Gonna lay down my sword and shield down by the riverside, ain’t gonna study war no more.” This is not naïve hope. It is the moral vision of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
May we be a people who refuse the easy language of vengeance and instead labor, pray, and advocate for a peace that is just, durable, and worthy of the dignity God has given to every human being.
Pray for Iran. Pray for our nation. Pray for those who pursue peace. For blessed are the peacemakers. And in a world addicted to conflict, peacemaking is an act of holy courage.
May we have the courage to pursue peace and strength to accomplish it.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson
XI Bishop of Missouri
A prayer for Iran
God of all mercy,
you hear the cries of your people even before they rise to our lips, and you know the fears that trouble our hearts. Look with compassion upon the people of Iran and all across the Middle East in this time of uncertainty and fear. Draw near to those who are afraid, comfort those who grieve, protect those who are vulnerable, and receive those who have died.
Grant wisdom and restraint to those who wield earthly authority over the fate of nations. Turn their hearts away from vengeance and violence, and guide them in the ways of justice, compassion, and peace. Plant within us the vision spoken by your prophet: a day when none shall hurt or destroy on all your holy mountain.
Until that day, make us instruments of your peace; through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.