Hearing news of war is always very sobering and should make us cry out to our God who is sovereign over everything.

We are aghast at the shocking evil and hatred levelled against the Jewish people. We know God is Sovereign, but God has given us the powerful tool of prayer. We need to cry out to the Lord that He will stop these terrorists and their murderous rampage.

“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” (Psalm 18:6)

War is a vivid and heart-breaking reminder that we live in a fallen world and that, until Jesus returns, evil is a daily occurrence. As we see the horrifying videos and images coming out of Israel, with more to come in the days and weeks ahead, let’s remember to pray for:

The nation of Israel and wisdom for her leaders;
Those who are committing and have already committed so many horrible atrocities;
Those who have been taken captive and their families;
The families of those who have already lost loved ones;
And that God would use this horrific event to bring people in Israel, Palestine, and around the world to the saving knowledge of his Son, Jesus.

I can’t imagine the heartbreak of people who have lost loved ones as a result of these heinous acts.

We have to remember our sin caused this. We experience the results of our sin each day as we see death, disease and suffering all around us. It’s not God’s fault that the world groans like this, it’s our fault.

And that’s why we need to do what we can to help our family (yes, we’re all one family) who are suffering as a result of this terrible war.

We, in Adam, committed high treason against the God of creation. That’s why we are all under the judgment of death. We deserve nothing, and yet God loves us so much He provided a gift of salvation for those who will receive it.

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4).