Hope Amid the Thunder of War
The Daily Devotional
Monday, April 7, 2025
Hope Amid the Thunder of War
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:9-10)
Introduction
The psalmist proclaims God's sovereignty in the midst of chaos and conflict, declaring that He alone can still the storms of war and bring peace to the trembling earth. These verses are more than poetic—they are promises that amid humanity's darkest moments, God remains present, powerful, and patient, inviting us to find stillness in Him.
Reflection
On April 7, 1862, the fields near Shiloh Church in Tennessee were anything but still. That day saw the culmination of a brutal two-day battle between Union and Confederate forces. When the smoke cleared, nearly 24,000 soldiers had been wounded, killed, or gone missing—a staggering loss of life that etched Shiloh into the memory of a grieving nation.
I've walked that hallowed ground three times, and each visit has felt like standing in a great cathedral of silence. The whispering trees seem to mourn, and the gentle hills conceal stories of valor, fear, pain, and brotherhood. I once stood alone near the Hornet's Nest, where resistance was fierce and countless lives were lost. The wind moved the leaves like whispered prayers, and in that quiet moment, I imagined the cries of soldiers echoing across time—sons and fathers who had prayed to the same God from opposite sides of the battlefield.
And yet, even there, I sensed hope. The battlefield is now a place of peace. No more shots are fired. No more brothers fall. The grass has grown back, but the memory remains—a lesson to the living. God was not absent from Shiloh. He was present in the chaplains who prayed, in the hands of medics tending wounds, in the soldiers who shared canteens with enemies, and in the countless families who later sought peace and reconciliation.
Application
We may not stand in the middle of cannon fire, but we all face battles—some within our families, our churches, our communities, and even within our own hearts. Like Shiloh, our personal struggles can feel chaotic and costly. But the same God who spoke peace to ancient Israel and bore witness at Shiloh speaks to us now: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Today, take time to reflect on the places of battle in your own life. Invite God into them. Ask Him to break the bows and shatter the spears of anger, fear, or division. And where you see peace, give thanks. Someone prayed for that peace to come.
Conclusion
Shiloh means “place of peace,” a name seemingly ironic for a battlefield soaked in blood. Yet, in God’s story, irony becomes redemption. What was once a place of horror has become sacred—because God transforms even the worst of human conflict into a field of grace. Let the memory of Shiloh teach us to long for peace, to pursue reconciliation, and to believe that our God is not only in the stillness—but is the stillness.
Prayer
O Lord of Hosts, in the shadow of blood-stained fields, we remember the high cost of hatred and division. As we honor those who fought and fell at Shiloh, we cry out for Your peace to reign in our hearts, in our homes, and in our world. Break the weapons of our pride. Quiet the noise of our unrest. And help us, Lord, to be still and to know You are God. May we be bearers of Your peace wherever we go. In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV)© 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
