(sorry for the delay... interweb issues)
He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4 ESV)
War and Hope
I have not physically experienced international war. But I have read enough to realize that war is awful. If war is waged around you, you would look forward to the end of war.
I have experienced other kinds of war, and so have you. Warfare against God’s enemies is all around us. We usually call this warfare, Spiritual War. But in addition to Satan, God’s enemies are the world, and the flesh.
And these wars seem awful, too. The effects of these wars shatter families, churches, and nations. The effects of these wars divide our hearts and His people. The effects of these wars are the source of sorrow, grief, and pain in the world.
But the end result of those wars has already been declared. Christ was, is, and will be victorious. (Deuteronomy 20:4, John 16:33, Romans 8:31, I Corinthians 15:57, et al)
And in that light, Isaiah gives us hope that warfare will end. National military war, as well as Spiritual War will end. And we can see signs of it around us. Family conflict finding resolution in Christ. Internal conflict with our sinful natures finding redemption in Christ. Worldview conflict finding peace in the gospel of Christ.
Where is your battle? Lean on hope instead of war.
Take the hope God grants us.