Dear Family and Friends,

In light of what happened in Israel, how was your week? Were you on a rollercoaster of emotions? I was.

We, along with the rest of the world, sat in disbelief and shock as the news first circled the globe. And when the images and facts emerged over the days, our emotions swung from horror, to rage, to sadness, back to anger.

As we look to the weeks ahead, we want justice for Israel yet feel for the innocent trapped in the middle of this Holy War.

Have you asked yourself the question we have all been asking: How are we who follow Christ supposed to feel?

Jesus said to love our enemies.

But how can we love those who attacked God’s Chosen intent on annihilation? We remind ourselves that Hitler would not have stopped at six million if left unchecked.

Are we to pray for peace and hope for the best even though satan is clearly imbedded in the hearts and minds of Hamas?

Or are we to view Hamas as modern day Amalekites to be dealt with in the same manner?

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt.
Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’” 1 Samuel 15:2-3 NIV

After initially struggling to hear from God this week, this is what He reminded me of.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33 NIV

Let’s start with the word trouble.

This Hamas incursion is just the latest attempt by satan to steal our peace by sowing fear of death, suffering, and the future. 

What is fear of the future?

Do you remember how we all felt during the first year of the pandemic? People were dying and no one knew how to stop the virus. We feared that the future was beyond control.

Fear of the future comes with wars as well. We just don’t know…

But this new war is unlike the war in Ukraine because of one scary aspect. Russia wants control over a territory. Hamas wants death of a people. Simply put, this is a war between God and evil.

In today’s verse, Jesus did not promise that life would go smoothly. He instead said that in Him we may have peace, regardless of the troubles that surround us.

The message for us today is – yes, it is possible to have peace, even in the face of troubles – including this new war.

How? The resurrection of Jesus gave us the hope we need.

But Jesus didn’t mean the kind of hope we have when we say – I hope it rains today.

Let’s use this passage from Romans 2 to help us better understand the peace found in Jesus.

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”  Romans 2:3-11 ESV

To summarize:

  • When we were baptized into Christ, we were baptized into His death.
  • When Jesus was crucified, our old self was crucified with Him.
  • When Jesus was buried, our sinful self was buried with Him.
  • We were not only united with Him in His death, we were united with Him in His resurrection.
  • Jesus died to sin but now lives to God. Now that we have died with Christ, we also live with Him.

Let’s now look at a similar passage Paul wrote to the Ephesians.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,”  ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • When Jesus was raised up, we were raised up.
  • When Christ was seated at the right hand of His Father, we were seated at the right hand of our Father in Him.

Rather than having hope in the future, we have certainty in today.

Look again at the past tense of the Ephesians passage. God will not raise us up, He already did. God will not seat us in Him, He already did.

To clarify, Paul is referring to our spiritual resurrection. Which means we are raised and now sit at the right hand of the Father in Christ.

Being seated with Christ will come in the future when we are physically resurrected. Which, by the way, is assured of by our spiritual resurrection.

Let me close with this.

As the Holy War unfolds, don’t let your heart be troubled.

Have faith in the sovereignty of God. Trust in His plans. For the outcome has been determined. 

And remember that He is a God of mercy and love as well as justice.

Take strength in these words of Charles Spurgeon, “A little faith will bring your soul to heaven; a great faith will bring heaven to your soul.”

Let’s be of great faith. And be at peace knowing this.

“I have overcome the world.”
                      Jesus Christ

In love always,