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The
teenager listened on his shortwave as Adolf Hitler made yet another speech
on the virtues of fighting against the Allies. From his home country of
the Netherlands, he was keen on learning the German language but something
about Hitler confused him. Why did this Nazi leader always end his speech
with, "May God be with us!" This was senseless, as millions of lives were
being snuffed out due to the German war machine. How could God be with those
Germans? Was He not with the Allies instead?
This story is as ironic as a Bible story found in Joshua 5:13-15.
Joshua was leader of the Israelites and was ready to attack the city of
Jericho. He saw a man standing and holding a drawn sword. Joshua went forward
and said to him. "Are you for us, or for our enemies?"
The man said, "No; but as commander of the army of the
Lord I have come." Joshua realized that he wasn't talking to some ordinary
man but to a higher power; it wasn't important to find out if God was on
his side or the side of the enemy. What was more important was the question,
"Whose side am I on?"
As we look at our war-torn world, death, enemies, allies,
cold wars, and surreptitious leaders, we are alarmed as the blood of young
soldiers and innocent lives are spilled on the ground. Very often those
who kill, end up killing those who believe in the same Creator of life.
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God does not take
sides in this kind of war. He is more interested in whose side we are
on. Are we on His side or not? Whether you are a soldier, a veteran, or
a stay-at-home parent worrying about your child in war, He asks, "As commander
of the army of the Lord, whose side are you on?"
 A
Suggested Prayer:
"God, I am really interested in being on your side in this
war called life. Yes, war does not make sense as life is snuffed out
like candles in a wind. I ask, God, that you come into my life and
help me to make sense of all this suffering. Jesus, I thank You that
Your blood was shed so that my life could have new meaning. Amen!" |
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