The Hope of Peace
By Tanner Peake, President-elect
Your inbox, news feed, and social media are likely filling with messages about Ukraine and Russia amid this current crisis. In the overwhelming noise of this, I want to connect with you, our beloved Every Home community.
As you read this, I invite you to slow down for just a moment. Ask the Lord to hear his heartbeat for the people who are being impacted by this war. Let us turn our hearts, with the compassion of Jesus, toward every person whose life is being upended in unimaginable ways right now.
I’m thinking of the people I know personally in Ukraine and Russia. They are members of the Every Home for Christ community. They are men and women with young families — with children. I have laughed with them. I have shared meals with them. I have been personally stirred by their dedication to the story of redemption. They are dear to me. Right now, many of them are in danger. All of them are in complicated situations. As I write this, they are making decisions no person should ever have to face about how to navigate a warzone as ministry leaders, as spouses, as mothers and fathers.
The faces I have in mind are only a handful of the millions of people — every single one deeply known and eternally loved in the eyes of God — who are facing the realities of war today.
Moments like these can feel overwhelming. Confusing. Convoluted. We want to care — but how? What does it look like to follow Jesus as we watch war unfold on the other side of the world?
Today, I am following the lead of our Every Home teams around the world: I am asking the Lord to attune my heart to his, and I am opening my hands to whatever he may ask of me in response. Our hope — our way forward — is in our capacity to see each other through the eyes of Christ. It is in our commitment to lift our eyes above the politics and nationalistic interests, and in our willingness to witness his love in response.
In the quiet before the Lord today, I want to share with you two simple invitations for this complex moment.
- An invitation to empathy: May we see the people of Ukraine and Russia as the Lord sees them. May we know their value, their worth, their dignity in the eyes of Christ. May we cultivate his love for every single one in our hearts.
- An invitation to prayer: May we carry the heart of God as we pray for the people and leaders of Ukraine and Russia. May we be centered in his love for every single person in both nations. May our hearts be lifted up to the hope of peace.
Is there someone who comes to mind for you, specifically, as you pray? Are there people you know, personally, who are affected by this war? Our prayer team would be honored to join you in prayer.
May we all be witnesses to the tender love of Christ in the days to come, and may we stand with those who, today, are suffering immensely.
For everyone, everywhere,
Tanner Peake
President-elect, Every Home for Christ
In addition to prayer, our brothers and sisters serving in this region need tangible, practical support. Some are fleeing their homes; some are preparing to receive refugees. Widespread fear and uncertainty and great humanitarian need are visible everywhere, and our teams are racing to bring the comfort and hope of the gospel into the pain of this crisis. Will you consider supporting believers on the ground, responding to this crisis with the truth and love of Jesus?
