Can a person ever be ready for war – or what comes with it?

Hearing that our country has essentially committed an act of war by sending missiles into Russia on behalf of Ukraine has definitely put many of us on high alert to what the response might be.

This news brought back a memory of some teaching at our local assembly at the beginning of the “pandemic.” A young man was teaching on being prepared for what was coming. In the first lesson he talked about spiritual preparedness. He worked at getting us to set our priorities right (biblically speaking).

One of the greatest take-aways from this teaching was that the highest priority in our earthly life is not to sustain our physical bodies. Our highest priority is to be that all we do and say glorifies God.

Surely our love for Him and the depth of our faith will be tested in these days while we do not know what will happen as well as if this actually ends in our country being involved in a world war.

Obviously, for the Christian facing a possible wartime, the sovereignty of God is going to be our greatest comfort. He has us in this position for a reason. Will we trust Him with the future of our country? Of our families?

There are two statements from Christ that need to be considered as part of our testing. First, He said that if we love Him, we will obey His commands (John 14:15). One of those commands is that as much as it is up to us, we should live at peace with all people. From a national to a personal level, are we aiming at peace with all people? This might be from the slander we sling as a nation toward other nations to the insults we sling on social media.

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.(Titus 3:1-2)

Another command to consider is to love our neighbor as ourselves. This command includes a lot of “neighbors.”  War would only be right if one of those neighbors has unjustly attacked us. Surely, we have been in this unjust war for too long already. Escalating it is not glorifying to God.

When Christ was asked what the first and greatest commandment was, this was His response:

Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:36-39 NKJV)

 Our nation may decide to go to war (it may already be done). As Christians, we have a responsibility to be concerned about and to encourage, build-up, and help our closer neighbors.

The Lord has placed us in “such a time as this.” I do not know His mind for sure, but I know that difficult times are times when hearts get softened and ears tend to hear more than usual. If we hide in our houses, trying to preserve our own lives, or just to stay glued to the latest missile attack or who the next country is that joined the fight, will we be loving our neighbors and obeying our God?

Are we spiritually ready for war? The one on earth or the one against principalities, against powers, against the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places? (Ephesians 6:12)

For the kingdom is the LORD’s, And He rules over the nations.        Psalm 22:28