A Hymn for Nonviolent Protests

"O God, as troubles here increase, we wonder what to do: / Can people who are seeking peace still change the world for you?"
June 23, 2025, Brussels, Bxl, Belgium: Demonstrators gathered in the center of Brussels, Belgium, on 23.06.2025, to protest against NATO's proposal to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP. Participants held peaceful banners and signs reading “Belgium against NATO,” “Welfare not Warfare,” and “To be or NATO be” to condemn militarisation and call for investment in health, education, climate, and diplomacy. by Wiktor Dabkowski (Credit Image: © Wiktor Dabkowski/ZUMA Press Wire)

O God, As Troubles Here Increase


KINGSFOLD ("Today We All Are Called to Be Disciples")

O God, as troubles here increase,
we wonder what to do:
Can people who are seeking peace
still change the world for you?
They say if 3.5 percent
protest nonviolently,
then swords of hatred can be bent,
and people can be free.

It only takes a little salt
to change a loaf of bread,
An act of peace can help to halt
what violence seeks to spread.
It only takes a mighty few
who dare to take a stand 
to bring in justice, love, and truth—
to help a hurting land.

It only takes a few to see
and speak with prophet voice,
to challenge our complacency,
to seek the better choice.
O God, when troubles come, we pray:
“Please, won’t you send those few?”
And then we hear the word you say:
“My church, I’m sending you.”

Biblical Reference: Matthew 5:9,13
Tune: English Country Songs, 1893; English Hymnal, 1906
Text: Copyright © 2025 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.

Permission is given for free use of this hymn in churches, including in online, streaming worship services. Please share it with other pastors and musicians for their possible use.

Author's Note: "3.5 percent protest nonviolently" is a reference to a study reported by the BBC: 

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