“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” Rom. 16:20
Heavenly Father, among your many names, “God of Peace” is precious, timely, and essential to us today. We rest, revel, and rejoice in the peace you have established with us through the finished work of Jesus. Reconciled, “in Christ,” your beloved children forever—these realities now define us more than our birth certificates, DNA, or anything else. But there’s another “peace”—a glorious shalom for which we long, wait, and pant.
The war in the Ukraine is making the promise and hope of peace on earth our immediate yearning and passionate craving. What did Paul envision with his image of the “soon crushing of Satan under our feet”? Not us crushing Satan, for the Lord Jesus took care of that once and for all. Paul envisioned the Day when everywhere we plant our feet, it will be evil-empty. Satan-void, and your glory filled. Hallelujah!
The promise of “soon” doesn’t come with the hint of which year, decade, or century. But it does come with your guarantee—our Father who never lies or exaggerates. Until that Day, you give us “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” as our inexhaustible supply and incomparable riches. Thank you.
Riches to be spent as we live and love to your glory, take the Gospel to the nations, and go with Jesus into the most broken places. We pray for the crisis, your church, and children in the Ukraine. We pray “soon” will be “sooner.” We pray the hope of the Gospel will topple our fears and fuel our extravagant grace-spending on others. So Very Amen.