Article April 15, 1991 Issue

Will peace always be elusive?

In most of human history there has been war somewhere in the world. So what is the good of praying for peace?

Arno Preller

The world barely heaved a collective sigh of relief over the peaceful reuniting of Germany, and the political liberation of parts of Eastern Europe, when another powder keg blew up in the Middle East. Armed conflicts are constantly flaring up in the world, some of them simmering for a long time.

Can there be such a thing, then, as permanent peace? And can you and I do anything to help mankind find it? Truly, universal peace has to include each one of us. We should never underestimate the effect of our good thoughts and actions. Most significantly, we can pray. There is a way to pray that will make a difference.

Paul called peace a "fruit of the Spirit." He wrote to the Galatians, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Here Paul uses Spirit as a name for God. It's a common Scriptural term for the Supreme Being, a name that tells us much about the divine nature. Spirit could never be confined in a finite, material form. Incorporeal Spirit has to be boundless, indestructible, permanent, eternal.

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