War

“Have you ever been in war?” His voice was charged with challenge to the hospital chaplain, my colleague. She looked at him, an old veteran still suffering the effects of violent military service, questioning the chaplain’s ability to be able to understand his pain in any way, expecting her life had been one of stateside ease. Her steady gaze met his, unflinchingly. “I believe all of life is War,” she said with quiet confidence. Their conversation went on for hours.

A pastor friend, a neighbor across the street, learned this winter that his wife has terminal liver cancer. Another colleague spent much of his week with the family of a teenage boy, brain-dead in an ATV accident. Yet another local pastor friend is preparing this week for the memorial of a young man discovered dead by overdose. A close friend sent out urgent prayer request for a granddaughter near death from another suicide attempt. 

All of life is War. The sooner we recognize this truth the better we will be able to battle. Evil is alive and at work in our world, in our communities, in our lives, and to deny this truth is to be defeated before we begin. 

Evil is not simply the absence of Good, like darkness is the absence of light. No, Evil is an intelligent, malevolent being whose purpose is to decimate, defeat, and destroy human life. Evil is not the enemy of God in the sense that Evil is able to defeat God but Evil is the opposer of God’s purposes. Evil is aimed at your destruction! Evil is your enemy. 

All of life is War. Everyday we hear about the pains, the cries, the travail in the Creation, the longing for peace, for quiet, for rest, for shalom, as the Hebrew word expresses. Our hearts are broken hearing of devastation by wars and are horrified by inexplicably barbaric acts. We are shocked to learn the appalling extent of sex trafficking, learning more lives are enslaved around the world today than at any time in the past. More 12 year olds are pregnant today than ever before. We see lives and families torn asunder by drugs, by abusive behavior running rampant, by a self-centered culture run amok. And we ask what is happening, what is going on? What can be done?  

Complacent, comfortable Christianity has no place in this world. Jesus came to destroy Evil’s works, the Apostle John writes. If we would be serious about waging counter-terrorism against Evil with diligent prayer and worship of God coupled with personal purity and partnership in service with other Christians, we would see the Kingdom of God turn back Evil. Jesus said it, that Hell itself could not stand against the assault of the believing, unified, active Church. 

All of life is War. Jesus comes to us in His Spirit to stand with us, to lead in victory. It will take work, however. We are here as God’s image, meaning we are God’s representatives of God’s kingdom. In days of old, rulers had statues carrying images of themselves placed at the gates of the city, indicating their reign in that location. Later, similarly, they put their images on coins. In the same way, we are the image of God, representing God’s presence in our place, every place.  

This week, amazing surgeons successfully replaced the liver of my pastor friend’s wife. Their adult daughter was an ideal match and she gave up a portion of her liver for her mother. Both livers will grow to full size over the next three months. Miraculous. The granddaughter survived her overdose by the extraordinary work of the medical team. Her recovery must also be credited to those in prayer for her rescue, for God answers prayer. 

The devastated family of the dead boy arranged a living legacy by giving eight of his organs to others, his liver going to not one but two young boys in need. Miraculous. Three hundred lined the corridor of the Sacramento hospital in support of the family. Hospital staff had never seen anything like it. One said “If this is what it is like to live in your community, I want to move there.” 

All of life is War. You may be experiencing a battle yourself, perhaps an urgent battle right now or one that has gone on for many years. Would you let us know by email about your struggle, your pain, your war? We would like to know and to pray for you. Email SierraMinistries@nccn.net.

With confidence God can do far beyond what we ask or think,

Pastor Dan Prout

Sierra Ministries International