Like many of you, I have been reading the news stories about the war being waged in Israel and Gaza. I am not ignorant to some of the politics behind why there is fighting. I am also not ignorant to the longstanding historical conflict in this region. I know that many people have differing opinions about this conflict. Some say Israel brought this on themselves. Others say that terrorism is evil, and Hamas needs to be wiped out. Others still say both sides have blood on their hands and that’s never going to change.
I have my own opinion on the issue. I won’t be sharing them here in this writing. I believe that most of the opinions held by people on the Middle Eastern conflict create more and deeper division between us than already exists. I, for one, have had enough of division.
Rather, I would like to ask you to pray for the people who are suffering in Israel and Gaza. Many families have lost loved ones. Hundreds of children have been brutally killed. Some people have been abducted and are being held as hostages right now. Homes have been destroyed. Jobs have been lost. Fear and anxiety are at an all-time high. There is no indication that the fighting is going to stop anytime soon.
My prayer today is for the fighting to stop. It is for lives to be spared. Hostages released. Healing to begin. Restoration to begin. I pray that peace would prevail, and hatred would be released.
Some would say that I am praying for the impossible. Close. I would reply that I am praying for a miracle.
I suspect that the human race does not believe that unity is possible. I further suspect that most people do not fully understand the great need for unity. And so, to add to my prayer, I pray that humanity might move closer toward peace with itself.
Some might say such prayer is naïve. Even God Himself says that future conflict will increase before the end of all things. What’s the point in praying for a pipe dream when the one we pray to tells us otherwise?
For one thing, at least as far as Christians are concerned, we are commanded to pray for moral good, which includes peace. In Matthew 6:10, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” There is no fighting in heaven. There is perfect peace there. So, no matter what state the world is in and what direction they appear to be headed, God wants each and every one of us to pray for impossible peace.
So, join with me in praying for the hurting and the broken in Israel and Gaza today. Let’s believe that the Lord will heal and restore and comfort.