As long as we live in this world we will live with wars. It’s not pleasant to think about, but Jesus forecasted that wars and rumors of wars would be the standard fare as human history barrels towards our denouement—our date with the war-ending Messiah. Of him the Bible states,
He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. ~Micah 4:3
Come quickly Lord Jesus!
Before we rush to judge others however, let’s step back for a moment. None of us are innocent. We’ve all been the aggressor in an unjustified conflict with the Almighty and have violated his sacred compact that provides peace to the planet. We’ve attempted to move the boundary lines of right and wrong. Our rapacious appetites have driven us mad with autonomy and self-rightness. We are all dictators in our own cognitive realities. That is the Biblical assessment of mankind. And true peace is only gained through submitting to the leadership of King Jesus the Messiah. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:27). It will only be our capitulation to Messiah’s government that leads to lasting peace.
As long as we live without God in a world of wars, or as long as we falsely justify our behaviors in the name of God, we will live with the reality of war with each other. Nations are not morally equal, nor are cultures. Some are more wicked than others, and some more trustworthy. Wars are not equal. Some are more weighty in consequence. Some are best to remain on the sidelines and some beg for a moral intervention. History shows just how many wars have been fought simply out of self-interest. All wars come with unintended consequences and painful realities. It certainly requires discernment for honest leaders to navigate the complexities of national interests and war’s consequences. Pray for our national leaders.
It is historically axiomatic that the most vile and ambitious of mankind tend to collect at the top of the pyramids of power. Meanwhile the masses of people underneath those rulers suffer the consequences of their decisions. Vladimir Putin, by all accounts, is as evil and dangerous a man as there is today, a dictator of the most subversive kind. On a national and political level extreme courage, care, and wisdom should inform our response to his escalating behavior in Ukraine. His actions will continue to tip over dominoes in all directions: liquidity in markets, disruption in international commodities, instability in developing nations dependent on Ukraine’s food resources, another refugee crisis stressing European social and economic structures, new pecuniary alliances with non-Western governments and values, and the threats of nuclear punishment for anyone who wants to trade blows with Russia. We don’t know where the geopolitical realities will shuffle out but it certainly feels like we're staring into the abyss.
The Bible has balancing and measured words about conflict.
- “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18
- “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34
- “Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.” Proverbs 17:1
- “For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right.” Romans 13:3
Never does God desire war for its own sake, but neither can Good shake hands and live in union with Evil. Sometimes God raises up righteous nations to correct other nations, or unrighteous nations to judge other nations. The sword of other nations becomes the "terror for those who do wrong." Always God’s heart is for harmony within the framework of his values of truth, love, and justice.
It is important that we are not basing our decisions and our assessments about the current conflict only on what we see in the news. Keep your eyes focused on the King who presides over kings. Be listening to what you see God doing underneath all of the turmoil. Be praying for the real people involved in the Ukrainian—Russian conflict. Quite frequently the result of chaos and stress is that a gap of receptivity opens in people’s minds and hearts. When we are thrust into the sea we grab for life rafts; we are more open to truth, meaning, answers, order, and compassion. Pray that in the chaos people would find the Logos—"the ordering structure; the Word of God—Jesus.” Pray that the gospel would reawaken a slumbering Mother Russia. Pray for life, peace, justice, safety, and pray for the opportunities to minister to people’s needs with the compassion and truth of Jesus. Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17). Don’t get hyper-fixated with fear or evil or political decisions beyond your control. Keep your eyes on how you can partner with God to pray and to act in alignment with his kingdom of justice and compassion.
Tags: #kingdom #conflict #war #fear #answers #chaos #pray #justice #messiah #peace
