As I begin my prayer, Lord, I am reminded that there are wars being waged at this very moment far and near on the face of the earth, and even worse new wars threatening us closely. Cruel, senseless, inhuman wars. Wars that have been going on for years, and wars which have flared up without notice and without reason.

There is never reason for a war. There is never reason to shed the blood of men and women who want to live. There is never reason to ruin nations and foster hatred and drag human history through the shame and the suffering of whole generations of men.

‘You alone can stop wars, Lord.

You break the flashing arrows,

shield and sword and weapons of war.

You are terrible, O Lord, and mighty;

men that lust for plunder stand aghast,

the boldest swoon away,

and the strongest cannot lift a hand.

At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

rider and horse fall senseless.

Terrible are you, O Lord;

who can stand in your presence when you are angry?

You gave sentence out of heaven;

the earth was afraid and kept silence.’

Make the earth be silent again, Lord. Let the earth with its silence acknowledge your dominion, Lord. Let bombs and missiles and mines and bullets cease to crease the face of the earth. Let the tumult of war subside in the hearts of man and on the fields of battle. Let the silence of peace envelope the earth. Let the songs of birds be heard again instead of the rattle of machine guns. Let weapons be destroyed that they may not destroy man’s civilisation in his own home.

Make silence in my own heart, Lord, because it is there that the sources of war are found. The passions that lead men to seek power, to hate each other, to kill and to destroy are all present in my heart. Silence violence in me, silence pride and silence hatred. When I read news of war, make me think of the secret wars of my own heart. When I decry violence, remind me of the seeds of violence within me. When I see blood, bring before my eyes the blood that I shed unseen in the spiteful encounters with inimical men. Silence the storm within that it may never rage outside, and the peace of my soul be sign and prayer of the peace I want for all men and women in all places and in all times.

‘O God, at your rising in judgement

to deliver all humble men on the earth,

for all her fury Edom shall confess you,

and the remnant left in Israel shall dance in worship.’

Make the clamour of battle change into the music of dancing, Lord God of peace!