Russia has invaded Ukraine. We have sent soldiers (our precious children) to the NATO countries bordering Ukraine (with a promise that they will not be sent into Ukraine but will only protect NATO countries in the event the war expands).
War is doing what war does, destroying, maiming, and taking lives. Refugees are fleeing into surrounding countries. Sanctions are supposed to hurt Russia but will also hurt those nations that make the sanctions. Prices for gas and everything associated with the price of gas will rise. Eventually, most of the world will feel the effects of a war instigated by one man.
Are we surprised by war? Do we think that people and nations are too civilized or sophisticated to initiate a war in our age?
We shouldn’t be. God saw long, long ago before the flood “that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time.” [Genesis 6:5 HCSB]
God even went on to express His sorrow: “the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” [vs 6, HCSB]
Only one thing has the power to change the hearts of men and women and that is the sacrifice and salvation provided by God Himself through His Son on the Cross.
In Jesus’ first coming, He provided personal peace in the hearts of those who accepted His invitation to “come.” Now we have “the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, [to] guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:7 HCSB]
But it will not be until Jesus’ second coming that the world will see peace. “He will settle disputes among the nations and provide arbitration for many peoples. They will turn their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will not take up the sword against other nations, and they will never again train for war.” [Isaiah 2:4 HCSB]
Amen, Come Quickly, LORD Jesus!
