There are many words to describe peace: calm, quiet, stillness, tranquility, silence, harmony, serenity, etc., etc., etc. None of them can be used to describe the climate in urban America in 2014. This is especially puzzling as we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace at this very special time of year. In the Bible, we are promised a peace that surpasses all understanding. However, we often forget that the promised peace is conditional. We want the peace but often don’t want to do what is required to have it. The Book of Philippians, chapter 4, verse 6-7 makes it clear: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” This verse is simple. It tells us to present our issues to God and to rest in Him and we can have a peace that the world does not understand – regardless of the circumstances.

No God, no peace

When we consider that there are two sides to every coin, should be surprised that godless environments are filled with violence and all kinds of strife? Whether it be Ferguson, Missouri; Staten Island, NY; the streets of Brooklyn; or Chicago, Ill., cities that don’t know and respect God, don’t know peace. Because we fail to recognize this simple fact, we blame the violence on all types of indicators: fatherless homes, out-of-wedlock births, a failed education system. And as the violence escalates, the battle lines are drawn that develop an us against them mentality. To some extent it is us against them, but that does not translate into black against white or cops against citizens. The reality is that it is good against evil and the only way to overcome evil is with good – not with more cops, or political posturing, or with modern-day scalawags that make their living off of capitalizing on the troubles of others.

While the Bible tells us how to achieve peace, conversely it also tells us what happens when national leaders fail to meet biblical standards. Proverbs 29:2 states: “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan.” It is undeniable that in many urban districts today in America many people are groaning. Their complaints may be as ill-advised as their solutions as they continue to give power to the wrong voices, like Mayor DeBlasio and the Rev.(?) Al Sharpton, to name a few. According to the Bible, if the people are groaning, we should first look to those that rule, and in NYC, that is none other than the Mayor.

When leaders promote strife, not peace

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In the case of the hypocritical Rev. Sharpton, someday, somehow I would like someone to tell me how he earned or deserves the title of Reverend. To date I have not been able to observe one thing about this man that should be revered. This monger of hate is the perfect example of hate speech begetting more hate speech – and in this case, violence. His hypocrisy in finding the hate speech against him prosecutable is nearly unimaginable. He would be less hypocritical if he called for the many who are on camera chanting for the death of police officers to be prosecuted along with those sending him death threats. In the midst of the signs reading “Black lives matter” should be signs that say “All lives matter – even those who wear blue.” A true man of God would see things that way, but not Al Sharpton. Only death threats against him seem to matter. I guess he doesn’t particularly like the taste of the medicine he has been dishing out for so long.

During this Christmas season, the Prince of Peace still rules in some hearts but in NYC, the people groan because men like Bill DeBlasio and Al Sharpton rule, while across this nation people are groaning because Barack Obama rules with his wicked band of cronies.

To be sure there are many reasons for the wickedness we are seeing in the urban districts and all across America, and there are as many possible solutions as there are reasons. However, a good place to start restoring sanity and peace would be to bring Christ back into the culture and to replace wicked rulers with righteous ones. We can start by demanding the resignation of Mayor Bill DeBlasio, the media silencing of Al Sharpton, and the dethroning of Barack Obama. Then if we pray hard enough and exercise diligent political discernment, maybe then the country once established under God can restore the Prince of Peace to His rightful throne in this country. May God bless you and your loved ones and may the children of God in America once again chose to bless Him in all aspects of our lives – including the political.

Reprinted from The Daily Rant. Copyright 2014 Mychal Massie. Used by permission.

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