Years ago, Charles Spurgeon wrote, “A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God’s work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness.”
This insight led me to write a prayer that I’ve used again and again whenever I have needed to be reconciled to someone or have had the opportunity to serve others as a peacemaker.
I hope it will be of use to you whenever God calls you to be an instrument of his peace.
Oh Lord God,
today I am called to be a peacemaker,
but I am unfit for the task.
By nature I am a peace-faker
and a peace-breaker,
so I myself need help.
Others ask me to understand and guide them,
but my ears are dull, my eyes are dim,
and I lack the wisdom they need.
But you, Lord, have all they need,
so I come to you for supply.
Make me fit for your purposes,
so I might serve them
and honor you.
Cleanse me from my own sin,
so I will not add to their problems;
take the logs from my eyes
so I can remove the specks from theirs.
Fill me with your Spirit,
so they may benefit from your fruit:
love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Give me wisdom from above,
so I might be pure and peace-loving,
considerate and submissive,
full of mercy and good fruit,
impartial and sincere.
Open your Word to my eyes
and to my heart,
so I will have a steady lamp
to light our path.
Strip me of my own agenda and desires,
so I might look only to others’ good
and be absolutely worthy of their trust.
Help me to model everything I teach,
so others can see the way.
Give me humility to admit my weaknesses
and confess my wrongs,
so others might do the same.
Draw me again and again into prayer,
where you can strengthen and correct me.
Make me submissive — help me to show
that I myself am under authority.
Help me to treat others
as I want to be treated,
so they may see
the essence of your Law.
Make me creative, versatile, and adaptable,
so I can adjust to the surprises ahead.
Help me to accept others
as you have accepted me,
and thus bring praise to your name.
Give me faith and perseverance,
so I will not doubt your provision
or abandon your principles,
even when others fight against them.
Grant me the gift of encouragement,
to give others hope
and help them believe
that our labor is not in vain.
Help me to model your forgiveness,
so relationships are healed
and your Gospel is revealed.
Grant me discernment so that I may read
the deep waters of others’ hearts,
sort fiction from fact,
and know when it’s time to act.
Give me boldness and courage,
tempered with kindness,
to confront others in love,
so they might see their errors
and find their way back to you.
Help me to prepare thoroughly
and not presume upon your grace.
Make me just and fair,
so that even if people disagree
with my counsel they will believe
that I treated them well.
In short, Father,
please give me the Spirit of Christ,
so that I might walk in his steps
and guide your people
into the path of your peace.
I hope God will use this prayer to prepare your heart any time he calls you to be a peacemaker.
~ Ken Sande
PS – If you’d like to download a one-page copy of the prayer for occasional reflection, click here.
Reflection Questions
- Which of these attitudes or qualities are sometimes lacking in you when you’re trying to resolve a conflict?
- Which of these attitudes or qualities would you most like God to increase in your life?
- When other people are trying to help you resolve a conflict, which of these attitudes or qualities do you appreciate the most?
Permission to distribute:Please feel free to download, print, or electronically share this message in its entirety for non-commercial purposes with as many people as you like.
© 2017 Ken Sande
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