I hear a lot rumor of war these days. It can be quite disconcerting, but Jesus has spoken about such things, and He gives us guidance for times such as these.
“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of war and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:4-6)
Jesus spoke these words in the context of prophesying about the destruction of Jerusalem that was going to take place in 70ad, but we can still take comfort from His words as we hear rumor of war ourselves. He tells us not to be alarmed because this must take place. In the context, the wars that were rumored were obviously leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem; and while we have no way of knowing what these current wars may be leading up to, we can know that He doesn’t want us to live in a state of fear and alarm.
So as the news is filled with talk of war, guard your heart from fear or anger. Keep your trust in God and not in man or his weapons. And understand that as long as broken people populate this planet, and as long as broken people lead governments that have weapons at their disposal there will be war and rumors of wars.
But we, as followers of Jesus, longing for something eternal rather than temporary, longing for something blessed rather than cursed … we find it a blessing to be called “peacemakers” for such “shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) So while governments do government-like things, let us be the ones longing for and pursuing peace. “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18)
