War Is Complicated

I remember as a kid watching our army vets returning from Vietnam. It was a sobering scene. Even though we were trying to do good in that region, it felt like a defeat. I have read a good bit about World War II and the men and women who fought to stop the Nazi machine from taking over the world. I was profoundly impressed by the resolve and leadership of Sir Winston Churchill as he inspired not just the nation he was leading, but the world to rise up against Hitler and the war machine of Nazi Germany. It sometimes blows my mind that these things really do happen. I live in a peaceful place in the Southeastern United States. I know that the things I believe in are not shared beliefs in the rest of the world. I’m thankful to live in a place where I have the freedom to believe differently than others or even the government.

Our country is polarized and divided in opinions or political posturing and how to improve our country, but there is certainly no need for us to fight against each other. I do wish that our leadership would look to the Lord for direction and counsel.

Zedekiah, king of Judah called Jeremiah in to ask what was going to happen to Judah. The Lord had previously pronounced His punishment on Judah and Israel for the evil behavior and idol worship.  He hasn’t changed His mind. Check this out…..

⁹ “This is what the Lord says: Do not fool yourselves into thinking that the Babylonians are gone for good. They aren’t! ¹⁰ Even if you were to destroy the entire Babylonian army, leaving only a handful of wounded survivors, they would still stagger from their tents and burn this city to the ground!” (Jeremiah 37:9-10 NLT)

I don’t know all the details of world events. I don’t pretend to understand why democracy just doesn’t seem to work in other parts of the world. I do understand why our country is engaged against evil people who seek to do us harm. I’ve always heard that a good defense is a good offense.

I am so thankful for the men and women who have fought over the years to preserve the freedom that we enjoy in our country. I owe them a debt that I could never repay. I am thankful for the men and women who are stationed on ships, subs and in crazy places all over the world so that the United States can prosper and grow as a country. I pray for their safety and their continued success. I pray for the husbands, wives, children and friends who are back here in the US sacrificing time with their loved one. I don’t ever want to become complacent and minimize the costs of our freedom. Even though war is complicated, I believe we have to push back and defend our beliefs and values. I just wish that as a country, we put more trust in the Lord.

¹¹ But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
    the purposes of his heart through all generations.

¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people he chose for his inheritance.
¹³ From heaven the Lord looks down
    and sees all mankind; (Psalm 33:11-13 NIV)

Pressing On!

Dwayne