A Wartime Prayer (3/3/2026)

 

 

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 21^st 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

Titus - a Man who could be Trusted

 

            I began last year with a practice I hope to continue going forward. I selected a Biblical figure to be a role model for me for the year. In 2025, I focused on Simeon (Luke 2:25-35). His spiritual work was literally to wait for God to act. Looking to him as an example, I decided to develop waiting as a spiritual discipline. I had no idea this practice would be so important for me in 2025, but it became clear as my mother, siblings, and I waited at our dad’s deathbed. We prayed and waited for God to call him home, and God did. We grieved but also rejoiced because Dad lived a full, blessed life. Like Simeon, God released dad into everlasting peace.

            Waiting, as a spiritual practice, will continue to be important for me. To this discipline, I add trustworthiness in the New Testament sense of the idea. Many in the Bible exemplify this value. For 2026, Titus will be my example.

            Titus was a trusted co-worker of Paul. He accepted Paul’s authority but also held Paul’s trust. Paul left the church in Crete in Titus’ capable hands (Titus 1:5). Titus was also a key emissary for Paul in Corinth. Paul’s relationship with that congregation was fraught with tension.

            Titus reassured Paul that the Corinthians did indeed love him (2 Corinthians 7:6). He was just as concerned as Paul was about that church. Because so much of the New Testament was written by Paul, we don’t hear testimony from Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, or Titus. Each one was as much a leader in the early church as Paul. Each cared for the churches as Paul did. Paul reports that Titus was filled with joy when he encountered the Corinthians’ repentant attitude (2 Cor. 7:13).

            Paul also craved Titus’ approval. “Just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true as well” (2 Cor. 7:14). Paul told Titus how great the Corinthian congregation was, despite its struggles. He needed Titus to see this. He needed his friend to confirm his own testimony, and Titus did.

            I want to be like Titus. I want to be trustworthy. I want to be well-grounded in my own thought and vision that other ministry leaders trust me with their ideas and ask what I think. I want to be entrusted with ministry responsibility, as Titus was. He will be my 2026 faith role model.

            I encourage you, in 2026, to select someone from the Bible who models faith in the way you would like to live it. Last year, and again this year, I chose lesser-known characters. If you prefer a more high-profile individual like Hannah or Mary, or Peter or John, that’s fine. I find great joy in meeting God in those quiet, background people.

            How ever you choose to do it, pick a Biblical role model for 2026. Identify characteristics of that person and then try to live out those values in your life. I am not trying to become Titus. I do want to be trusted as Titus was trusted. I want to be a faithful disciple of Jesus as he was.