Introduction

• From the dawn of humanity, violence has been an issue.

• Aside from the story of Adam and Eve the first stories of the book of Genesis is filled with violence.

• From the time of the murder of Abel, the glue of civilization is achieved through blame, accusation and scapegoating, leading to violence that is condoned as necessary and just.

• Jesus said as he was about to become the next victim of this activity: “this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah” (Luke 11:50)

• This study attempts to look at the root causes of this systemic sin.

Humanity’s Most Pressing Problem

• Of all the problems mankind faces violence is the one with the longest history and most detrimental to life on the planet.

• Each year, more than 1.6 million people worldwide lose their lives to violence.

A Definition of Violence

• “The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has the high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.”

• World Health Organization 2002

• The definition encompasses interpersonal violence as well as suicidal behavior and armed conflict. It also covers a wide range of acts, going beyond physical acts to include threats and intimidation.

Is It Only About Law and Order?

• Because violence is so pervasive, it seems to be an inevitable part of the human condition, a fact of life to respond to, rather than prevent.

• It is commonly considered a “law and order” issue, in which the role of health professionals is limited to dealing with the consequences.

• What if the causes and seek to raise awareness of the fact that violence can be prevented with good decisions, education and influence?

War, What is it Good For?

• Throughout history, war has been the inhumane means through which groups of people—whether tribes, nations, empires, or religious sects—have secured self-interest by using extreme violence against other groups, even to the point of genocide.

• Humanity has engaged in war primarily over land disputes, resource allocation and of course, the “will of the gods”.

• It is believed that the top ten wars in the history of humanity accounts for the loss of 210 million people on the low side and up to 404 million on the high side.

The Top Ten

Mongol Conquests (1206–1324): 40–70 million

World War II (1939–1945): 40–60 million

Three Kingdoms/End of the Han Dynasty (184– 280): 36–40 million

Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945): 25 million

Qing Dynasty conquest of the Ming Dynasty (1616– 1662): 25 million

6. Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864): 20–100 million

7. World War I (1914–1918): 20 million

8. An Lushan Rebellion (755–763): 13–36 million

9. Dungan Revolt (1862–1877): 8–20 million

10. Chinese Civil War (1927–1949): 8 million

** These figures include civilians.

The Misery of War

• Statistics do not tell the whole story.

• Often those left behind to pick up the shrapnel are decimated emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

• Generally speaking—and it depends on the war, as well as on which a side of war the people in question are—the effects of war are degrading to quality of life.

• War, throughout the many centuries in which it has been conducted, has always displaced people, broken apart families, and, in many instances, erased the only homes people have ever known.

The On-Going Effects

• Food shortages

• Food shortage ripples into the larger economy and extends over multiple years when farmers, herders, and others flee attacks, terror, and destruction or suffer reductions in their capacities to produce food.

• Disease is linked to hardship and hunger.

• Ecological Disasters

• The escalating numbers of weapons and the diverse technologies of destruction and delivery now available to virtually any country that wishes to pay the price, place the local, regional, and global environments in greater jeopardy than ever before.

• Chemical and biological weapons kill not just people but also the environment.

• Loss of Freedom and Civil Rights

• Structural violence becomes ingrained in society. When we meet the “enemy” the natural response is prejudice, racism, inequality and discrimination.

Violence as the Cultural Norm

• In some cultures, violence becomes so central it is how the society is defined.

• The United States has pretty much been at war since its inception.

• In most countries, statues are of war heroes. There is always some dude on a horse with a sword.

• This concept is not new or novel.

• Pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus argued that the logos (see John 1:1), the structuring principle of reality is violence.

The Preacher of Peace

• Jesus Christ and his peaceable kingdom are the hope of the world.

• He is called the Prince of Peace because he preached a new way of being human and an alternative arrangement of society that he called the reign or kingdom of God.

• Believing in the deity of Jesus is theological, believing in the ideas of Jesus is radical.

• Reducing Jesus to being only the Savior for the afterlife is to ignore most of his teachings.

• This feeds into a nationalized narrative of the gospel and leads to a state-owned Jesus.

• Example: Constantine (312 AD)

• The preacher of peace transcends idolatrous nationalism and the addiction to war.

• The preacher of peace was executed for his revolutionary ideas.

• We simply cannot envision the world other than the way it is.

• Violence is still viewed as a legitimate way of shaping our world.

God’s Uncontrolling Love

• In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples and other curious spiritual seekers to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44–45).

• What Jesus asks people to do here appears irrational, absurd, and against our natural inclinations.

• Jesus is asking them to love like God, who causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good.

• God demonstrates perfect love by loving those who do not love him back.

• God’s primary means of running the world is through uncontrolling love.

• Because of love, God provides freedom to creatures, and God works by empowering and inspiring creation toward well-being.

• God cannot disregard the free will of people.

God’s Open-Door Policy

• Throughout history, doors have been used as metaphors to signify various things:

• New opportunities

• New adventures

• New insights

• New missions

• It is not a literal door as revealed in Revelation 3:20.

• In this passage the door is the way to the innermost part of who we are – where mind, will and emotions reside.

• Petitionary prayer often wants God to change others without taking into consideration other dynamics and agencies like free will.

• God has a greater chance of changing those who open the doors of their heart to him.

• It is to those who open their hearts to God who can become willing recipients of his loving action.

• The Scriptures promise God comes near to those with openness to Him:

• Hebrews 11:6

• James 4:8

• A person without openness to God limits what God can do in their lives.

• If a person pushes God away, then no matter how much one may pray for them, God’s options are narrowed.

• God lovingly influences us not by coercion but by inviting, empowering, filling, convicting, comforting, etc.

• God’s love precludes him from overriding the will of humans.

• God can be trusted completely because he would never purposefully or maliciously harm any person.

• Does God’s uncontrolling love imply that petitionary prayer can never change God’s mind?

• Do petitionary prayers ever make a difference?

• There needs to be distinction between “basic needs” and “discretionary needs”.

• Basic needs are those things needed to sustain life.

• Discretionary needs are those things we would like to have but don’t absolutely need to have.

• Example: Can you pray that I will get this better job?

• Is this a basic need if the person already has a good job?

• Is this a discretionary need based on the person’s desires?

• Are petitionary prayers a way of passing the buck?

The Sin of Petitionary Prayer

• We love to ask God to do stuff that quite easily, (or with a little bit of effort), we could do ourselves.

• Prayer can become a way of avoiding responsibility.

• It is a spiritual buffer, that allows us to feel like we are doing something religious, without really getting involved.

• We keep our safe distance from suffering, and we wait for God to do what we refuse to.

• There are times when stuff is certainly far too big for us, and where prayer is the only recourse we have. Yet in many situations, we positioned, prepared and gifted to do what we are asking God to do for us.

• The command to pray unceasingly, was never an excuse for praying only.

• Many times, it is time to get up off your knees and step into the messy business of healing and helping.

• To contend that God heals when we pray for those who are terribly sick or physically damaged—is to imagine a creator who needs to be convinced.

• It is to paint an image of a God who, though already fully aware of the gravity of the situation and the worry of loved ones and reality of the injury—refuses to move until we ask him.

• Prayer appeals almost become spiritual GoFundMe campaigns where we’re told that if we “just get enough people praying” healing will happen; that there is a magic number or critical mass that will move the Almighty in our favor.

• Sometimes petitionary prayer can be used as a weapon.

• When someone that we disagree with says “I am praying for you”, it is the last salvo in a bloody battle with someone who inspires our contempt and exhausts our patience or rebuts our arguments. It is simply a “spiritual way” of kicking someone in the crotch.

• We know when someone really cares about us, and when they are just using prayer as a weapon.

The Jesus Warning

• Jesus warns those who would follow him against using prayer as a public relations ploy (Matthew 6:5-6).

• Jesus knew that we’re all tempted to lean toward self-righteousness and showy religion, and nothing illustrates both better than angrily dropping the Prayer Card in an argument.

• It basically says to someone, “Not only do I disagree with you and dislike you, but I find you so reprehensible that I’m telling God on you!”

• Unless someone specifically asks for prayer or is expressing to us some deep sadness or struggle in confidence, there’s really no need to broadcast our intentions, especially in the context of public disagreement.

• Otherwise it’s likely more about spiteful self-promotion and backhanded judgment, than an act of real benevolence—less a kindness and more a killing.

The Purpose of Petitionary Prayer

• If prayer is not an excuse to do nothing tangibly for someone else and if God does not violate a person’s free will, then what is the purpose for praying for someone or a situation?

• Praying for people is a beautiful expression of care and solidarity, an effort to somehow stand beside someone in unthinkable trauma, to let them know that we love them and feel their urgency.

• It lets people understand the depth of our concern for them, to allow them to feel a little less alone, to lift them emotionally and physically as they face the senseless suffering of this life.

• Prayer changes our hearts as we pray, it tethers us to one another, and it increases hope in otherwise hopeless situations.

• Prayer is a beautiful, sacred act, especially when it intercedes on behalf of another.

• The one praying, feels compassion or mercy or kindness for someone in such great measure, that he or she feels compelled to speak to God on the other’s behalf.

• Petitionary prayer is a delicate balance between God’s work and our responsibility.

• It avoids placing all the responsibility on God and seeks to actively join God in becoming a blessing to others.

• Through prayer we open ourselves to the divine will so that the guidance fashioned for us in heaven might be felt and effected on earth.

• We are called to silence our busy lives enough to seek God in prayer, hear his heartbeat, perform the unique mission he has for us, and echo his non-coercive, uncontrolling love in the world.

Trusting the Shepherd
Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is clear about two things: God is all we need, and God is always with us. Yet many times we exiled in a very “un-psalm” world. This psalm affirms that God is the satisfaction of all our wants and needs both in this life and into the next.

So why should I trust God as my shepherd?

1. He knows me (v1)

2. He provides for me (v1-3)

3. He restores me (v3)

4. He guides me (v3)

5. He protects me (v4)

6. He comforts me (v4)

7. He exalts me (v5-6)

It is God’s companionship that transforms every situation.

God, the divine shepherd-king, leads his people to nourishment and safety, keeping them alive and protecting them.

Processing the Pain
Psalm 137

All of us carry a certain amount of pain inside us. Sometimes it is quite noticeable and other times well hidden. Many of the Psalms display a noticeable post-traumatic stress to the pain they experienced.

PSALM 137 IS AN IMPRECATORY PSALM

· This type of Psalm is an expression of lament.

· It wishes for retribution upon the enemy.

· The rhetoric of this psalm is unrestrained, reckless and shameless.

THE BACKDROP TO THE PSALM IS THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

· The Psalm is looking back on the city of Jerusalem left in rubble

· This is a raw wish for vengeance growing out of the rawness of humiliation, failure and shame.

PSALM 137 IS THE INNER DIALOGUE OF THE AUTHOR

· He processes the pain of the past.

o He verbalizes it

o He brings it into the present

o He remembers the promises of God

· He moves into the future by keeping God’s greatness, love and presence in mind.

Types of Prayers

• Prayers as a wish

• As we pray for others, some prayers are not intercessory prayers but simply wishes.

• Wishes are typically not addressed to God but to the hearer.

• They are simply a way of expressing inner longings.

• Although wishes are not technically prayers, because of God’s mercy and love, God can take those wishes into account.

• Example: “I am praying you get that new job”.

• One of the Greek words for the verb pray is euchomai.

• The word can also mean “to wish”.

• Examples:

• 3 John 2 – John is not praying to God here but merely engaging in a standard letter convention by wishing Gaius well.

• Acts 26:29 – Paul is sharing his wish that others will experience the same freedom in Christ he possesses.

• Philippians 1:9 – Paul’s wish is for them to have godly insight and bear good fruit.

• Wishes directed toward God are the expression of the heart shared with others.

• Agonizing and Travailing Prayers

• Some Christians believe their prayers are somehow affecting and, in some mysterious way, defeating demons and ubiquitous forces of darkness.

• This is the mindset of a “prayer warrior” engaging in repetitive, emotionally laden and agonizing spiritual warfare.

• Prayers of this nature are rooted in a deep commitment to people or to spiritual goals.

• Agonizing prayers can be a powerful way to build up individuals in their faith and unite communities.

• Jesus and his disciples engage in this type of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:36)

• Paul speaks of agonizing prayer of Epaphras (Colossians 4:12)

• The word translated “wrestling” is the Greek agonizomai, which means to struggle, compete for a prize or labor fervently”.

• God? Did Epaphras think that if he didn’t pray, God’s active love would be diminished in the Colossians’ lives? I don’t believe so.

• Again, this is a way of expressing love and concern.

• Prayers as petitions

• James 5:14-18: Elijah’s Prayer

• This passage is an example of God’s intervention as a result of prayer.

• The context is important:

• James encourages the elder to lay hands on and pray for the sick and those in need of healing.

• The he says that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

• James is referencing Elijah’s petition to stop rain for three and a half years.

• What is James saying?

• Does James’ use of the Elijah account prove that if we pray, God will unilaterally act in the world and if necessary, change lawlike regularities (laws of nature)?

• How does the prayer of Elijah relate to the harm it would cause other people and creation?

• If God did choose to stop the rain as Elijah prayed, was God simultaneously choosing to ignore the other people’s desperate prayers for rain?

• This act would demonstrate a total disregard for life on the planet, a disregard at odds with the loving nature of God.

• Is there something else going on in the text?

• Is the text portraying a culturally conditioned and immature view of God?

• Since God does not unilaterally change people’s minds and forcefully download the right image of himself into people’s brains, he accommodates them in his inspiration.

• The purpose of the James reference is pastoral. He is trying to inspire the community to prayer.

Hanging on to Hope
Psalm 71

This psalm talks about the experience of the poet as he looks back over his life, from the time he was young. He is now older and approaching the last stretch run. He has experienced a lot of opposition in the course of his life and shares his wisdom with those approaching from the rear.

SEEING TRIALS THROUGH SEASONED EYES (v9, 18)

· He found security as he turned to God repeatedly for help in trials.

· He humbles himself under the weight of the trials and patiently perseveres.

· He sees life as a unit, as a big picture.

TRANSITIONING THROUGH CHANGING SEASONS (v 16-17)

· He learns to adapt by hanging on to hope.

· We are constantly deconstructing and reconstructing.

RESOLUTIONS BUILT ON REFLECTIONS

· Take refuge in God in our troubles (v1)

· Remember the times we leaned on God (v5-6)

· Speak much about God’s greatness (v6)

· Don’t give in to despair (v14)

· Tell of God’s salvation (v15)

· Remember God is above our understanding (v17-18)

· Retell the stories to the next generation (v21-22)