The famous author, H.G. Wells, may have been very gifted in many ways, but prophecy wasn’t one of them. Some of you old timers may recall that he declared World War I to be “the war to end all wars”. Yet it was barely two decades after that war ended that the world’s most powerful nations were back at the business of killing one another and destroying things once again. That should not have been surprising to anyone, because 2,000 years earlier, Jesus had declared that wars would continue until that day when His Kingdom was finally established. Luke recorded His proclamation like this:
But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately. (Luke 21:9 NKJV)
The Cycle Repeats ~
So, in spite of all our pleas for peace and passionate denunciations of war, the reality is that wars are inevitable. God has an arch enemy who’s intolerant of peace and harmony and who seems to have an endless supply of willing accomplices. Their dire threats and
aggressive behaviors demand once again that protective and defensive action must be taken – and so the cycle of war begins again. And as we all know, that process unfolded again last Saturday morning when American and Israeli forces combined to unleash a strategic military operation against Iran dubbed, “Epic Fury”.
My objective in bringing up the issue is not simply to add to the parade of opinions, positions, assessments, and speculations about the implications of the war. My intention is to encourage us as followers of Jesus to be unified and faithful in our prayers that this operation will be successful and that it will ultimately result in promoting peace in the region and around the world. But secondly, I’d like to share what our risen Lord reminded me of when this conflict began. That is that He is always our Teacher and able to use even the awful reality of war to impart principles that will help equip and prepare us for carrying out the mission He sent us to fulfill. And in my case, the lesson began when I read a comment God made about war during Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The text simply said this:
Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” (Exodus 13:17 NKJV)
A Disturbing Inclination ~
God couldn’t take His people on the shortest, most direct route to the land He had promised them because there were wars they’d have to fight and enemies they’d have to 
overcome. He knew that their first inclination when confronted with war would be to go running back to the familiar bondage of Egypt. And the truth of God’s assessment was on full display later when they finally arrived at the threshold of acquiring their promise. Even after all God had taught them in the wilderness, when their spies described the enemy they would have to engage, they responded like this:
Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” (Numbers 14:3–4 NKJV)
Wars are always awful and no sane person wants the suffering and devastation that comes with them, but in spite of that, they are sometimes unavoidable. Peace would be easy and wars unnecessary in a world with no greed, no prejudice, no hatred, no selfish ambition, no inordinate lust, no arrogance, no unprovoked animosity, and where pleasure is a blessing to be enjoyed and not a god to be worshipped. But a world like that doesn’t exist, at least not yet. The world Jesus was born into, and into which He dispatched us as His representatives, is filled with forces that despise and oppose everything about Him and the God He embodies. That hatred is transmitted toward all those who believe in Him, follow Him, love Him, and endeavor to be like Him and live out the values He taught. Because of that, conflict is commonplace, and wars of one kind or another will continue until Jesus returns to complete the establishment of His Kingdom.
Conflicting Visions ~
That can sound almost contradictory to what we envision when we read Isaiah’s declaration that Israel’s Messiah would be called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). But even though Jesus personified all that the shalom that Isaiah’s prophecy attributed to Him, enemies continually confronted Him in one way or another. Long before His betrayal and crucifixion, the Prince of Peace fought battles that didn’t involve swords and endured
wounds that didn’t bleed. Before thorns ever pierced His brow or nails ever tore through His hands and feet, wars were being waged that the casual observer may not recognize. The victories He achieved and the peace that came with them weren’t won through diplomatic negotiation. The war had to be fought and the enemy had to be overcome if peace was to be achieved.
My first response in this time of war is that even though wars are glimpses of hell on earth, their presence is inevitable and they are sometimes necessary. They should always be the last option, and where they can be avoided without capitulating to those who would do us harm, we should refrain from engaging in them. But our best defense against wars that involve rockets, bombs, and bullets is to focus on the conflicts that create and undergird them. The internal conflicts that initiate and undergird those physical confrontations don’t make the breaking news alerts on TV. The wars that threaten us most are the ones James pointed out when He said . . .
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. (James 4:1–2 NKJV)
Prediction Confirmed ~
God’s assessment of Israel’s inclination when war seemed imminent with James’ words above brought the lesson together in a way I had not expected. For me, the conclusion is 
simple. When powerful opposing forces stand strongly between us and the peace, prosperity, and provision God offers, we shouldn’t be surprised if our first inclination is to run back to the old life we left behind. Even if it was hard, we found ways to tolerate it, and we knew what to expect. That cost Israel an entire generation. They were defeated by a foe they never encountered and lost the war they refused to fight – and the same thing can happen to us.
Following the Prince of Peace is not a call to negotiate with evil. Jesus has called us to live out the values and principles He taught regardless of the oppositional and combative culture surrounding us. We can be assured that His enemies will threaten us in one way or another every day. In spite of that, Jesus promised to give us peace, but it was a special kind of peace that isn’t dependent upon tranquil circumstances. His peace isn’t defined by an absence of conflict. Instead, it’s the courageous confidence that flows from the faith affirmed in John’s authoritative declaration regarding the source of our strength:
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater [stronger and more powerful in every way] than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4 NKJV)
Israel’s greatest enemy wasn’t the giants in the land. It was the fear that created the giants in their minds. Victory, and the peace that comes with it, are found on the other side of those wars, and we are called to fight them. May God help us not to be defeated by foes we never engage – and lose to the specter of wars we’re afraid to fight.
“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the quotes below. Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .
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- God knew His people’s first inclination when confronted with war would be to go running back to the familiar bondage of Egypt. The truth of God’s assessment was on full display when they arrived later at the threshold of acquiring their promise. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- The world Jesus was born into, and into which He dispatched us as His representatives, is filled with forces that despise and oppose everything about Him and the God He embodies. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- Wars are glimpses of hell on earth, but their presence is inevitable and sometimes necessary. They should always be the last option and where they can be avoided without capitulating to those who would do us harm, we should refrain from engaging in them. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- When powerful opposing forces stand between us and God’s peace, prosperity and provision, our first inclination is often to run back to the old life we left behind. Israel was defeated by a foe they never encountered and lost a war they refused to fight. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- God’s peace isn’t defined by an absence of conflict. Instead, it’s the courageous confidence that flows from the faith affirmed in John’s authoritative declaration regarding the source of our strength: 1 John 4:4 NKJV. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
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