Having spent 18 months serving our country in Vietnam during the height of conflict in Southeast Asia, has molded my perception of war.
As a Christian, I’ve developed a better understanding of the reality of conflicts and have witnessed the impact of battle firsthand.
Also, sharing the experiences of others over these past 60-plus years has given me compassion for all who have been caught up in such circumstances.
My personal research through Scripture has shaped my perceptions on the intricacies of war.
King Solomon addresses life under the sun in his treatise better known as the Book of Ecclesiastes. In Chapter 3 verse 8 he ends his thoughts on life with these words: “a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
That whole third chapter has great value in helping us understand life in general. There is evil in this world and there are times when we must take action against that evil which corrupts this world in which we must live.
God did not create us as evil beings. Yet since Adam and Eve’s disobedience the Garden of Eden, evil has been unleashed.
You see they willingly disobeyed God when they both ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.
A cursory review of Genesis 2 and 3 would be wise, if you are not aware of this sad turn of events.
Obviously, God was aware from the very beginning of time that man would succumb to the temptation to eat of the forbidden fruit.
The battle between good and evil will remain until Christ Jesus’ eventual return.
And we will find ourselves at war over lands, resources and those we must face to gain control over what is good, righteous and pleasing to God Almighty.
The battle we presently face in the Middle East is against an enemy that believes Allah demands all who don’t succumb to their belief system must be annihilated.
We are not at war, but we are in a battle that justifies the combined forces of Israel and America to stand up against Satan’s evil forces in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other factions in the Middle East that will do whatever they can to destroy the goodness of God’s people.
In my opinion, we are blessed to have leaders in Israel and America who have been empowered by our Lord to uphold our Judeo-Christian beliefs for the good of mankind.
The battle is truly the Lord’s and we are His instruments to defend what is good and pure and righteous in His eyes.
And much of what will certainly happen going forward may well transform many hearts in the Middle East to draw near to their Creator.
I believe we have been called to serve our Lord in this present battle between good and evil. I, for one, am encouraged with the military and economic strategies being utilized to defeat the Enemy of God.