At the recent gathering with Valley Mosaic in Williamsport, PA, I closed the concert and our time of conversation with ‘Bring Me Some Peace.’ I offered the song up as a prayer specifically for the city of Juarez, Mexico, which daily is consumed by a conflagration of drug violence and murderous mayhem. (For a brief, recent orientation to what is going on, click here.)
The worshiping community I partner with in Ciudad Juarez and I have committed to praying the words the LORD blessed the Israelites with in Numbers 6:24-26 three times a day. (My alarm goes off to remind me to take the moment and be still at the same times every day). It is a way of maintaining solidarity and lifting up trust that God is still in control and working to restore creation anew, even in the situations that seem most hopeless. My friends in Juarez are a testament to that hope.
I suggest our ritual to you as a potential tool to faithfully pray for a person, community or people who weigh on your heart – be they in Darfur, the inner-city or poor rural areas of your town, or right next door. I also want to share the video of ‘Bring Me Some Peace,’ embedded below, in hopes that it can serve as a prayer of longing and exhortation when you feel overwhelmed by the rampant injustices that infiltrate our world. Shalom, brothers and sisters.
That’s a cool song. Thanks for your heart for the broken and poor. I was in Juarez in the summer of ‘05. I didn’t realize the violence had become so much worse.
I was in MN this last summer, for Mission to the City. I’m sure you don’t remember me, but I was at your CD booth at the festival where they closed off the block. I’ll be praying for you as you prepare to relocate again to Africa.
Keep up the kingdom work.
Rebekah