Living in a war zone isn’t easy. In America a century and a half ago, much of the country was decimated as the American Civil War ripped holes in the fabric of people’s daily lives. In the early 90s, Bosnia endured a brutal disruption as a multicultural nation revolted against itself. Nigeria thirty years earlier saw up to three million people dead, mostly from hunger and disease.
We might recognize the locations of these wars, also. Columbia. Sri Lanka. Angola. Somali.
Then there’s the civil war that rages inside each of us every day.
James 4:1-2 tells us:
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”
If we are not careful, our families can become a battlefield. 1 Peter 3:7 warns us with careful words:
“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Even heaven could not escape the ravages of its own civil war. We can read of it in Revelation 12:7-9:
“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
What is our solution? We need a mediator, one who can step into any situation and salve the raw moments that embattle us from day to day. We find our answer in 1 Timothy 2:1-2:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”
Only Christ can calm the war within. When we give him control, he speaks peace to our situation, and everything is different.
Jesus is the peace speaker, and he transforms the cacophony of war into a sanctuary of delights.
Copyright © 2015 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.D.22.15b.vp.esv
Originally Published 7-06-22 in Hope