"Three Things for Christians to Consider in a Time of War"
(a message delivered by Pastor Don Smith on the weekend after the beginning of the war on Iraq.)
In any time of uncertainty, confusion and distress, it is appropriate to have a compass that will bring us back to the foundation of who we are and whose we are. That compass can be found in God’s Word, and a psalm that has brought comfort and perspective for over 3000 years is the 46th…
"Psalm 46"
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields [2] with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
I waited as long as possible to compose this message - - part of that was because appropriate words are difficult to come by in times like these, and another part of me was hoping that before the decapitation strike or before the “shock and awe” strike and certainly after the amazing display of force upon the Iraqi regime, that there would be a surrender - - that Saddam Hussein would capitulate to the demands, live up to these promises and surrender himself and all of the destructive weapons he claims not to have. But he has not and he probably will not, and the world is a divided place over what should and shouldn’t be done about it.
As evidenced by the tens of thousands of people marching the streets of New York today, our country is not in unanimous support of the decision to go to war. The Saudi’s don’t like it, nor do the Russians or the Germans. And then there’s the French - - Regis Philbin (please note….your pastor DOES NOT watch Regis!) this week commented, “The only time the French want war is when the German army is sitting in Paris sipping coffee.” And so we’ve re-named French fries and toast to “freedom fries” and freedom toast” and the world continues to be in conflict about this conflict.
To be sure, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement in the 1700’s in England, had some definite opinions about the concept of war. He once wrote, “War is a horrid reproach to the Christian name – yea, to the name of man, to all reason and humanity. When war breaks out, God is forgotten, and so long as this monster stalks uncontrolled, where are reason, virtue and humanity? They are utterly excluded.”
Lest we criticize Wesley for what may seem to be his naiveté, we should remember that Wesley lived in a world where Hitler had not yet lived and Wesley does not live in a world where, now, psychopathic dictators such as Saddam have weapons and technology available to destroy innocents by the thousands. What would Wesley say now? Would war have been a lesser of evils - - something tragic, yet at times necessary?
To be sure, I will always give humanity the benefit of the doubt and will encourage exhaustive diplomacy over bombs any day. Could we have negotiated more? - - certainly. Would it have changed anything? I don’t think so. It is impossible to reason with an unreasonable person….
And so we are a world at war today. That is the reality. And though any reasonable human being should hate the idea of war, I think that we know that through the course of history, war will be regrettably necessary.
So today’s message isn’t about defending or attacking the decision to go to war. Besides, no one from Washington called me this week to ask my opinion about all of this anyway and no one will be calling tomorrow. The decision has been made. We are at war.
What should Christians consider now that we are at war? After all, we should be theologians before we try to be politicians. Our task, after all, is to see everything - - every circumstance and every event in history, from the perspective of God.
That is why the scripture passage for the day is so important for us to hear. Because as we flood our lives with newspapers and television and internet coverage - - most all of it from a worldly perspective, we have a higher calling - - a Godly purpose.
Given all of that, here are three things that I invite you to consider now that we are at war.
GOD IS WORKING THROUGH THIS WAR - That we are at war should not be a surprise to us. After all, In Matthew 24:6, Jesus reminded his followers that there would be wars and rumors of war until his Second Coming. This is because we live in a fallen world - - a world that is imperfect. And because we live in a world that is imperfect, we as human beings utilize imperfect means to bring resolution to our conflicted existence. Even the psalmist reflected, “…Nations are in an uproar, kingdoms fall… (46:6)
As people of God, we should believe that God never intended war to be a part of our existence, but then God never would have intended for a dictator like Saddam to have the power that he does. Appropriate are the words of Edmond Burke (18th century philosopher), who said, “Evil [people] prevail when good [people] do nothing.” Sometimes, therefore, war is tragically permissible.
Yet, as one preacher said to his confederate congregation on the brink of the Civil War, “That war is an evil, and often, a sore and terrible evil, and a thing at variance with the spirit of the gospel, is what no Christian can for a moment doubt.”
So what about the Old Testament wars where it almost seems that God is blessing the battles of the people? To be sure, though God may never have intended war does not mean that God will not work through war to fulfill His purposes on earth. In other words, God has the power to use imperfect people (you and me) and imperfect means (war) to bring about his perfect will (peace on earth and good will toward all people) on earth. Truly, God has been doing this for thousands of years.
So I believe that God is working not apart from the war with Iraq but THROUGH the war with Iraq to being about all that is good and pleasing to him even though war itself may not be pleasing to him…
BEWARE OF “AMERICANITIS”…. The psalm points us beyond the nations and even beyond the earth to the only lasting kingdom which is not of this world…. In verses 8-10, we read, “God makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear….be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth”. As Christians, we should certainly fly the flag of our country but we must never remove the flag from the shadow of the cross. And when our nationalism becomes the motivator of our thoughts and actions rather than the teachings of a Lord who died for all people, then we have lost the perspective of God. As both Christians and Americans, it is a slippery slope on which we travel…
A radio talk show host, on the eve of the commencement of the war, invited his audience to gaze upon the brilliant moon and think about the men and women serving their country who would be gazing on that same moon a half a world away. I love the image, but I wished he would have gone further. I wish he would have called to mind the Iraqi mother huddled in fear with her children…a woman who may have never chosen to live where she lives - - a woman now living in the fear and uncertainty of the future for her and her children.
All of these, the brave coalition soldiers, the innocent citizens, the ones we love the most and even the ones we despise, are created by God in God’s image. As we temper our patriotism with a more global perspective, then we will be able to see things through the eyes of love for all people.
IN THE DAYS TO COME, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances…”
In a time when we wonder if we can do anything, I remind us that prayer is the greatest weapon in our personal arsenal.
FOR whom should we pray… (obviously) Our nation, our nation’s leaders, and those who serve in our nation’s military need our prayers now more than ever. All who are a part of this conflict, even those who are our enemies, should be the object of our prayers. We need to pray for the coalition soldier and the Iraqi soldier. We need to pray for our president, our national leaders, the leaders and peoples of the coalition and also those who condemn this invasion - - for the hardened hearts of the regime that they would be softened before innocent lives are lost.
FOR WHAT should we pray? Here are some things you may want to place on your prayer list in the days ahead….
That the war will be over quickly. The president has warned us that this war might take a long time; I’m praying for a swift resolution. As of now, it appears that victory could come quickly. Thousands of Iraqi soldiers have surrendered without a fight; our forces have captured strongholds inside the Iraqi border; yet, the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein and his top government leaders is unknown. It could end quickly; let’s pray that it does. Secondly, I pray that...
There will be minimal loss of life. And I’m referring to both sides of the battlefield. Our war is not with millions of Iraqi people; our war is with a handful of oppressive leaders. Our goal is to get them out of power. I’m praying we can do it with minimal loss of life. Next, I’m praying for...
Peace and prosperity for the Iraqi people. In a news conference Friday Secretary of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reminded us that our purpose in this battle is not to colonize Iraq. Iraq, its land and its resources, belong to the Iraqi people. When the current regime is gone, we want to help Iraq establish a stable government that is based on freedom and is committed to peace. So let’s pray for the new Iraqi leadership—that it will not be another terrorist-supporting, poverty-perpetuating totalitarian government. Let’s pray that the Iraqi people will experience the peace and prosperity that we have experienced for so many generations. Fourth, I’m praying for...
Justice. King Solomon said... When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to the evildoers. (Proverbs 21:15) The amount of oppression, poverty and persecution that the Iraqi people have been subjected to for the last several decades is unacceptable and inexcusable. Here’s a chance that justice can be done. A wrong can be made right. I’m praying that, through our nation’s involvement overseas, God will bring justice to this troubled area. And may we not forget even the area in our own land in which poverty, homelessness and other evils can be made right as well. Fifth, I’m praying for...
Courage to do what is right, to say what is right; to think what is right - For our nation’s leaders, for those who serve in our military, for the citizens of Iraq, and for each and every one of us. We nearly always know the right thing to do, but it’s not always the easiest thing to do. As we participate in conversations concerning the war and even get into disagreements about public policy and other controversial issues, may we take the heart and mind of Christ into those arenas. After all, it takes courage to do right. It takes courage to love the unlovable...to face an enemy...to make an unpopular decision...to stand up for Jesus Christ. These things take courage, and I’m praying that we will be a courageous people.
In this time of crisis, let’s remain committed to prayer.
And may we always remember the source true hope and peace….
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear…
