“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem; and he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.”
Last week, when President Donald Trump threatened Iran with, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” I found myself not only disturbed at the prospect of the threat, but troubled by the war of words reacting to the president’s message – as though we were losing a much more important war whose battlefield plays out in every human heart.
Since the outbreak of this conflict, I have been praying for peace privately and publicly. I do not wish to see one soul, let alone thousands upon thousands, needlessly slaughtered.
Violence, once unleashed, sings its own unpredictable song, infecting the hearts of those who do its bidding as well as those who meekly witness its malevolence. All who hear the song of violence, whether they wish to carry its tune or not, must reckon with it. Even the self-proclaimed peacemaker, who attempts to sing a counter hymn, should not think himself immune to its disharmony.
Have you ever noticed that so many people calling for peace, do not seem to have peace?
Have you ever noticed the cruel irony that some who cry out for conflict bring about harmony, while those who scream for peace – by the way they scream – seem to bring war?
Would those quick to call political leaders “war criminals deserving of a firing squad” pull the trigger themselves? Would they pull that trigger with reluctance or relish the opportunity? Why do those who condemn the unjust abuse of authority so often seem to lust for that authority themselves?
Though there are genuine peacemakers in the world – faithful servants willing to brave the lion’s den on their knees – too many who oppose conflict seem to harbor hostility within their hearts. Nestled in their detached seats online, they cry, “Peace, peace!” only to pile up insults, accusations and condemnations in anger against their fellow spectators singing, “War, war!”
Detached from actual responsibility, too many supporters and detractors of war are more than happy to hold others responsible from the cheap seats. It is easy to moralize for or against any given conflict. Yet to practically reckon with conflict is a much more difficult cross to bear.
Too many, for or against war, seem unable to feel the weight of the authority that carries political leaders into battle more than leaders freely carry their authority into the fray.
The watchers of war may assure themselves – if only I were in the room, if only I were in the chair, if only I were the one with my finger on the button – I would do the right and just thing.
Yet, unless you’re in that room or chair, your finger hovering above the button, how would you know what you might do? How could mere observers, whether for or against war, ever know the burden of such a thing? Do war’s spectators not know that God will judge the leaders of nations who conspire and plot wars in vain?
Last week, when Trump gave his civilizational-level threat, I did pray for peace. I did not wish to see thousands upon thousands of poor souls slaughtered.
Thank God that did not come to pass.
Today, I still pray for an end to the conflict, even as peace negotiations falter.
Yet, as I continue to pray for peace, I’m not going to sit from my own spectator’s seat and spit condemnation at those who must make these decisions, nor will I judge my fellow war watchers – though the hostility in their hearts is apparent by the insults and rebukes that fire from their mouths at one another. I wish they may all find heaven.
Yet, as I pray for peace and wish for heaven, I know I am a coward. If I truly believed in heaven, I would put myself in the way of those bombs. If I truly believed in peace, I would die for peace. If I truly believed, I would fall on my knees towards the City of Peace, Jerusalem, and pray three times a day – even if it meant being thrown into the lion’s den.
Very few today will ever face such a consequence. How many of us who critique matters of war and peace from our detached seats could ever live up to such a standard of faithful sacrifice? Very few, indeed.
Spectators of war, get on your knees.
Spectators of war, pray for your enemies.
Spectators of war, ask the Lord God for mercy.
The true fight, for sinners and saints alike, starts on our knees – so we may ask to do His will and not our own.
Joey Clark is a native Alabamian and is currently the host of the radio program News and Views on News Talk 93.1 FM WACV out of Montgomery, AL, M-F 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. His column appears every Tuesday in 1819 News. To contact Joey for media or speaking appearances, as well as any feedback, please email [email protected]. Follow him on X @TheJoeyClark or watch the radio show livestream.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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