When Jesus walked the
earth (approximately 6BC – 30AD), God in human flesh, one empire was more
powerful than the rest and imposed its will on other nations, disregarding
their sovereignty. That was Rome. The country that does that today, the 21st
century equivalent of the Roman Empire, is the United States of America. The
U.S.A forced a regime change in Venezuela in January of this year, now in
March, the U.S.A is in the process of doing it again, this time in Iran. The United
States can do this because it is bigger and stronger than other nations.
In the first century,
Jesus was of the people dominated by the imperial power. The contemporary of example
if Israel’s powerlessness in the face of Roman might would be Venezuela or Iran
or any other nation we choose to crush. This is not a value statement or a
moral statement. It’s an observation.
The spiritual assertion,
backed by passages like Luke 1:52, is that God favors the victim and the vanquished
when the powerful exert their power. He has brought down the powerful from
their thrones and lifted up the lowly. Also, consider Jesus’ own words. The
Spirit of the Lord has anointed me … to bring good news to the poor (Luke 4:18).
This is not to say God is thoroughly against America and for Iran and
Venezuela. That would be an absurd statement. God is for people, and especially
for poor people.
There are many poor people
in Iran and Venezuela, and maybe someday, they will be helped by a regime change,
but that rarely comes about from a foreign invasion. Ask the people of
Afghanistan or Iraq or Vietnam of America’s invasion of their nations brought uplift
and prosperity. It did not. When we pray in wartime, if we are disciples of
Jesus, are prayers are to be motivated by what motivated him during his earthly
ministry.
So …
A Wartime Prayer
Lord of the Universe,
bring the war to an end … before it begins.
Protect the peasants who
live near the facilities targeted for bombing.
Reach into the psyche of the
fighter jet pilots; forgive them for taking lives, convict their hearts of
their part in the violence, and then heal their souls whenever the remorse
comes.
Effect a course correction
in the minds of leaders whose decisions bring about death and destruction.
Prepare the world for the ripple
effects: rising fuel costs; travel bans; unstable markets; distrust between
nations.
Put in the hearts of the people
of your church a longing for your kingdom; may that longing overpower illusions
of lost greatness.
Take from us our misguided nationalism and toxic
patriotism and replace these with true faith, hope, and love.
Yours, AND ONLY YOURS, is
the kingdom and the power and glory, forever and ever.
Forgive us Lord.
AMEN
