Micah 4:4-5

While war is never optimal, the Bible shows it is sometimes necessary in this fallen world. Examining battles like Jericho, Jehoshaphat’s victory through praise, and David vs. Goliath, we see that success is achieved not through human might, but through faith, obedience, and reliance on God's divine intervention. We have confidence that the Lord fights for His people. Scripture confirms that wars will continue until Jesus return; however, Christians already possess the ultimate victory through Christ's defeat of sin and death on the cross, urging us to face our personal struggles with faith and courage as we seek everlasting peace.

Micah’s prophetic ministry called attention to the oppression of the poor, the injustice of leaders, and the unfaithful messages of false prophets. The solution to Judah’s sinfulness is simple: “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8). Despite their sinfulness, Micah prophesies a time of peace when God will gather a remnant of His people to be ruled by a Shepherd-King born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-5).

Whether it’s social media, the news, or our own households, it’s like no one wants to live in peace. Getting their own words heard—often forcibly—seems to be more important today than just about anything else. It’s exhausting, all this posturing and shouting. What if we start creating spaces of peace? Think what might happen if all these little pockets of peace started popping up all over our communities.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is a yearly reminder of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (see John 17.21). The theme in 2017, "Reconciliation – the love of Christ compels us," is inspired by verses from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5. The resources for the week have been prepared by members of different churches in Germany.