Asking for Peace
Today’s Verse:
Philippians 4:7 ESV
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We live in a world that feels anything but peaceful. War rages in Ukraine. Israel and Iran are in conflict. Violence consumes many places around the globe. Images of destruction, loss, and grief fill our screens daily. It’s easy to feel helpless—or worse, numb.
And yet, Paul writes about a peace that “surpasses all understanding.” Not the peace of ceasefires or treaties—though we pray for those—but something deeper. God’s peace. It doesn’t depend on headlines or borders. It is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ, who has already overcome the world.
This peace doesn’t ignore the suffering around us. It acknowledges it fully—and then holds us steady in the midst of it. It’s a peace that guards our hearts, not by offering escape, but by planting hope. The kind of hope that knows Christ has reconciled us to God, and is even now at work redeeming this broken world.
As Lutherans, we cling to the promise of grace through faith. That even in war, God is not absent. He is present in the bomb shelters, in the refugee camps, in the churches that still sing. And He is present with you, even when fear creeps in.
Let this be your anchor: Christ is risen. He reigns. And His peace is yours—now and forever.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, in a world torn by war and suffering, grant us Your peace. Guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Help us to trust Your promises and to be instruments of Your mercy, even in dark days. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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