Obedience: the Way to Peace

In 1934 the 28 year old German pastor/theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave a talk at a world ecumenical conference in Denmark.  The talk was primarily about hearing God's Word and obeying it.  In the process he talked about peace.  In an age of appeasement, his words stood out in strong contrast:

"There is no way to peace along the way of safety.  For peace must be dared, it is itself the great venture and can never be safe.  Peace is the opposite of security.  To demand guarantees is to want to protect oneself.  Peace means giving oneself completely to God's commandment, wanting no security, but in faith and obedience laying the destiny of the nations in the hand of Almighty God, not trying to direct it for selfish purposes.  Battles are won, not with weapons, but with God.  They are won when the way leads to the cross."

qu. in Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas p. 241