Nick Fawcett (devotional and reflective writer)

I always thought I was a pacifist through and through. In essence, I still am, but the dreadful recent invasion of Ukraine and the atrocities committed there subsequently have given me food for thought. If I were in the shoes of its people, would I turn the other cheek, or would I take up arms to defend my family, my home, my town, my country? I suspect it would be the latter, provided I had the courage to do so. There are times when unprovoked aggression has to be resisted. And certainly, if there is to be a resolution to the conflict, it cannot involve capitulation on the Ukrainian side or abject compromise. There needs to be peace with justice or else it will be no peace at all. That’s the theme of the following prayer.

How can I pray for peace?

How can I pray for peace, Lord,
while there is one-sided aggression,
while there is unjustified conflict,
while there is ruthless ambition,
determined to destroy,
to defeat,
to crush,
to control?

How can I pray for peace, Lord,
while the slaughter of innocents continues,
the annihilation of civilians,
the devastation of towns and cities,
the complete disregard of human rights or the conventions of war?

How can I pray for peace, Lord,
while ceasefires are flouted,
freedoms denied,
war crimes committed without compunction,
and the truth is cynically twisted.

How can I pray for peace, Lord,
while hospitals are bombed,
schools flattened,
churches laid waste,
residential areas targeted?

How can I pray for peace, Lord,
while families are separated,
parents are grieving,
children are orphaned,
lives are daily broken?

I do pray for peace, Lord.
I must pray for peace –
for an end to this madness,
this cruelty,
this horror,
this evil –
but it cannot be reached on any terms,
at any price,
for then tyranny will flex its muscles
and seek out fresh prey.

Grant somehow, Lord,
after the pain,
the grief,
the suffering,
the tears,
that there may be, not just peace,
but peace with justice.
Amen.