Four years ago, Pastor J watched his home state of Minnesota burn in the after math of the George Floyd riots. As a pastor, he couldn’t understand why Minnesota’s highest, elected official (Tim Walz) passively allowed businesses and city offices to be destroyed — allowing evil to have a heyday.

What the whole world witnessed was the disorderly conduct of the worldly — on so many levels. These weren’t the actions of the righteous, wise, or prudent, nor the behaviors of the peaceable, humble, and goodhearted. Instead, these were the outward manifestations of the spiritually depraved and of hell’s anarchists. I wondered why the Governor Tim Walz didn’t take quicker action to stop the chaos, instead of being a passive instigator.

As followers of Jesus, you and I are called to be different, especially when evil is in the air and our hearts are anxious.

In his letter to the churches, James shared a formula for planting peace where God positions you: 1 prayer, 6 steps. In 1961, one man understood all that, and worked for the cause of peace. His name was Dag Hammarskjöld; and he died while trying to bring peace to the Congo. He worked for peace, saying “In our age, the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action.” He also prayed, “Not I, but God in me.”

Hammarskjöld understood that planting peace where God positions us begins within us, then manifests itself outward as we follow God’s wisdom.

Listen to Pastor Jason’s message to hear Hammarskjöld’s prayer, and God’s 6 action steps that will help you plant peace where God has positioned you.