Matthew 24:6 “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

Human history is in many ways a sequence of wars. Just yesterday I was reading an article that talked about how “peace” was a very strange concept in most places throughout history. The Bible even includes a phrase that we find shocking today: “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war!” (2 Samuel 11:1) In a sense, war was a method of population control. Specifically, polygamy was unsustainable without killing off a lot of young men, and war is a way of doing that. That actually is a major factor in various Islamic countries today. As Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) The human lust for power is amazing. That’s why the difference between a politician and a statesman can be so striking, even though we all too often don’t recognize it until after the person is gone. The current state of affairs in the world, including but not limited to Ukraine and the Israel, is regrettable but hardly surprising, and the people who are stoking the conflict are despicable but hardly unusual. Human beings are sadly bloodthirsty! That’s why Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) Those who know Jesus as Lord are already children of God, and we need to act like it, not stoking conflict but actually promoting peace. At the same time, there is the sad reality that justice often requires a forceful response to aggression. The reality that Russia made an unprovoked attack on Ukraine is complicated by the undeniable corruption of Ukrainian society. What’s going on in Gaza is generated by the genocidal hatred of Jews by Hamas and others, to the utter disregard for the safety and good of their own people. Answers are not easy to come by! What Jesus is saying in this verse is that this is how the world is, so don’t get all stirred up about it. The vast majority of people aren’t in positions to do much about international conflict, but we can control our personal attitudes and actions. We can recognize that we are ambassadors for Christ, (2 Corinthians 5:20) and so represent Him in drawing people to repentance and faith, which is peace indeed.

I’ve never been a particularly combative person, but I was drafted in 1970 and spent 2 years in the Army, thankfully stationed in Hawaii rather than Vietnam. I’ve known lots of people who have known far more about war than they ever wanted to. From my training, I know that I am quite capable of killing people, and it’s not a nice feeling. Even in Basic Training I almost got myself court martialed for writing and performing an anti-war poem. At the same time, I have a strong desire for justice, and that kicks in when I think about Ukraine and Israel. The only real answer I can come to is prayer, that God’s rule and reign may be established and His will be done, as perfectly on earth as it is in heaven. That may seem like a copout, but I don’t think it is. I am to strive to bring that prayer to pass in my own life, and trust God with everything else. I need to be sure that Jesus is the Victor in my own heart!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for telling me many years ago that You aren’t happy with much of what goes on. Help me indeed trust You with the resolution to it all, so that I won’t get in the way of Your answering the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!