I could hear automatic weapon fire in the distance as my tour group, earlier this year, looked over the border of Israel into Syria. It was sobering to stand on a hill in the Golan Heights (next to an abandoned tank), aware of the well-marked landmines nearby. The landmines served as a warning to any potentially aggressive nation that Israel was prepared to defend her borders. And the distant gunfire was a reminder that many innocent people are caught in the crossfire of warring parties within Syria.
When we asked our tour guide about a possible solution to the Syrian crisis, he shrugged his shoulders. “There are no easy answers,” he said.
Then he told us an underreported story related to the conflict. At times, when a Syrian civilian is critically injured, his family will drop him at the Israeli border, knowing that Israeli soldiers will have compassion and pick up the injured person (even though Israel is considered “the enemy”). That Syrian citizen will receive free care in an Israeli hospital and then be returned to the border after he is restored to good health. It is a glimmer of light in a dark world.
The Middle East is just one part of the world ravaged by turmoil. There are always talks of peace between various nations and their enemies. But this visit to Israel demonstrated in tangible ways that true peace can come only when Jesus reigns in the hearts of people.
Trouble Will Come
Whether we recognize turmoil on a worldwide scale, or experience that inner conflict of our own souls, Jesus reminds us that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33). But He also guarantees peace in the midst of turmoil when we take to heart His promise that He has overcome the world!
I noticed something else on that trip. Israel is a nation under constant threat. Yet the people go about their lives in relative peace, confidence—and often prosperity. They have learned to survive and thrive without ignoring the potential dangers.
It’s like that for believers in Christ, as well. We need to be on guard. The apostle Peter instructs us to be aware and alert to the schemes and strategies of Satan (1 Peter 5:8–9). He encourages us to guard and protect our hearts—and stand firm in the truth of the gospel. Hostilities toward God and His Word surround us, but God wants us to be confident in Christ.
He also calls us to be compassionate and loving toward the lost, even at our own risk. We seek out and help the hurting and the abandoned because we know we have the truth that heals and restores. People may reject us and even hate us, but we respond in love and with the hope that they might receive the transformational power of Jesus.
In this issue, Jerry Tankersley reminds us of the hostilities that the apostle Paul and early believers faced, yet they knew how to rejoice in all things. He describes the way many of the Psalms have helped him to pray with peace in trying times. Mark Forrester uses his expertise in social media to show ways we can be prayerful voices in a polarized world. And Dave Butts writes about knowing Jesus’ peace during his personal cancer battle.
In an increasingly hostile and tumultuous world, I don’t want to just survive. I want to thrive in the love of Jesus—and be a voice of hope! Let’s keep praying with confidence to the One who offers true peace.
CAROL MADISON is editor of Prayer Connect magazine.
