War

It’s no understatement to say that our world is at war.  Global Security lists 42 ongoing conflicts today, 11 of which have been started in the past 5 years.  And many more conflicts are on the brink of war.  The hatred runs deep, the tensions high, and the anger wide.  As Christians, how engaged are we?  How many of the 42 ongoing conflicts can we name?  How many do we pray for?

Today instead of denouncing the guilty, debating the justifications and pretexts on which people go to war, or perhaps fully understanding the ongoing battle between good and evil, we simply lament the evident groanings of the fallen world in which we live.  And we cry out to a God who cares (1 Peter 5:7).  Today we pray for all the soldiers, sailors, marines, and pilots who are fighting on the front lines, regardless of which flag they have stitched on their uniform.  Today we grieve with the families who have lost their loved ones in the name of war.  And today we remember the veterans of war who have put their life on the line in defense of liberty, justice, and peace.

In a world of peril, may we never forget the blood that was shed on Calvary in the ultimate war – the war for our salvation.  It is as soldiers of this war that we pray for a world in conflict.