Christmas Day and Love

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:19 ESV)

Christmas Day and Love

Lots of love was found in Bethlehem Ephrathah that morning.

Joseph’s love was manifest in his adherence to his beloved (Matthew 1:19, 24)

Heaven’s love was sung by the angels. (Luke 2:13)

God’s peoples’ love was displayed by the shepherds. (Luke 2:20)

God’s love was proven in His sacrifice, His presence, and His promises fulfilled. (John 1:14)

Mary’s love was shown in her treasuring and pondering.

It would not surprise me to find out some day that the moment of Christ’s birth is the exact center of our historical timeline. Because the moment of Christ’s birth is the complete center of all of God’s loving work.

Here is love.

Take the love God grants us.

Christmas Eve and Hope

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. (Luke 1:41 ESV)

Christmas Eve and Hope

I might like Christmas Even a tiny bit more than Christmas. I have almost never had a bad Christmas Day, and so Christmas Eve is one of those times that I have great confidence that the next day will be grand.

Looking ahead to something wonderful has its own wonder.

Looking ahead to the fulfilment of a promise it is own fulfilment.

Looking ahead to tomorrow is at least as joyful as the actual tomorrow.

Christmas Eve is a time of hope.

Baby John knew it. Even before he was born.

Children know it, nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums dance in their heads.

For us, after the incarnation, we still find hope… hope of the end of sin and sin’s effects… hope of heaven… hope of the full establishment of our King’s Kingdom.

All because the baby King was born.

Take the hope God grants us.

Presents and Love

Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you. (Isaiah 42:5,6 ESV)

Gifts and Love

When it comes to gifts, my intentions are always grand. But experience has shown that I am not a great giver of gifts. Either I am wrong in my assumptions, or I am lazy in my application, or I am short of resources, or I simply choose poorly.

My gifts do not usually measure up to the depths of my love.

But God IS a great giver of gifts!

Isaiah describes the gift of creation and connects that gift to God’s love of His people. He chose us, He makes us righteous, He connects with us, and He keeps us. That is a pretty good description of God’s love.

While the gift of creation is not the ONLY gift God has given, it is a good place for us to start. Look at the wonders of the night sky, and you can see how big His love is. Look at the awesome Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, Great Prairie, Gobi Desert, Rocky Mountains, Mt. Fuji, or the Matterhorn, and you can see how extravagant His love is. Look at the intricate ecology of a rain shower, winter’s storms, and the cycles of predation, and you can see how detailed His love is.

Whenever love seems absent, consider God’s gift of creation everywhere. Whenever love seems impersonal, consider God’s gift of creation in your backyard. Whenever love seems only a promise, consider God’s gift of creation right over there. Whenever love seems like something everyone else has, use your telescope, plant a seed, listen to birdsong, and laugh at a platypus.

Creation sings God’s love.

Take the love God grants us.

Presents and Hope

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 ESV)

Gifts and Hope

Last year, some of our family gave us a gift certificate to a local historical site. That gift was not yet visible… it was a promise.

After the postponements due to winter, the effects of Covid-19, and a too-full calendar, we finally used that gift certificate a couple of weeks ago. The site was interesting, informative, and fun. But the best part of our visit was the fulfilment of the promise made last Christmastime.

God’s gift of eternal life is a promise, too.

We do not see it, yet. We do not experience it, yet. We do not physically glance at it, listen to it, or hold it close on a stormy night.

It is a promise. It is hope.

When waiting for peace is still tumultuous, have hope. When waiting for health is sickening, have hope. When waiting for financial security is insecure, have hope. When waiting for love is lonely, have hope. When waiting for time to not matter so much is tedious, have hope. When waiting for laughter is heartbreaking, have hope. When waiting for promises to be kept seems hopeless, have hope.

God gave proof that our hope is secure when He sent His promise-keeper to Bethlehem Ephrathah. God gave proof that our hope is secure when He sacrificed His only begotten Son in our place. God gave proof that our hope is secure when that death defeated Sin’s curse: death. God gave proof that our hope is secure when Christ Jesus ascended into heaven, leaving the door open for His people.

Hope is a great gift.

Take the hope God grants us.

Presents and Faith

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. (Genesis 2:7 ESV)

Presents and Faith

What kind of Santa Claus would come out of the fireplace and ask, “Ok kids, what toys do you want to buy?” A gift is free. A gift has no strings attached. A gift is unconditional.

My grandfather gave me his treasured harmonica when I was ten years old. I am not sure what he expected me to do with that instrument, but I did not choose my actions well. Within an hour I HAD to see if the harmonica could play underwater.

It could not. And it never played again.

But I remember my grandfather’s sad shrug of his shoulders. That shrug said, “Well, it was a gift. I meant it as a gift, and what Tommy did with it is his business.”

When God gave to Adam the gift of His breath of life, it was a true gift.

Adam could use his gift however he desired. He, almost alone in history, had the absolute free will. Particularly, he could have chosen to obey and love God… or not.

(Because Adam chose poorly, we no longer have that choice. We choose sin. It is our nature, now. We do not expect a fish to fly into outer space, a bird to make use of credit cards, or a dog to ignore it when the master comes home. Such actions would be against the nature of the creature. While Adam’s created nature allowed him to choose sin or love. Our nature now does not allow us to choose anything but sin.)

Adam misused his gift. But that makes the giving even more amazing. It tends to prove that God means ‘freedom’ when He gives it.

That knowledge is another gift. When the Holy Spirit is transforming our very lives, God is giving us that Adamic choice again, in a way. In Christ, we can choose to love God… acting against our very nature.

Adam’s freedom shows us that God is nothing like a toy-selling Santa Claus. Loving us, He lets us choose to love. Loving us, He lets us try to grow. Loving us, He lets us strive for righteousness. Loving us, he lets us live.

Remember Adam’s poor choice? We can choose better.

Take the faith God grants us.

Singing and Hope

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, (Acts 16:25 ESV)

Singing and Love

Here are Paul and Silas in prison. Their future bleak. Their options diminished. Their hope logically dim. The British had not yet invented the concept of, “innocent until proven guilty.” In fact, those in prison were assumed to be guilty, and the punishment sure, soon, and severe.

But Paul and Silas were singing.

Often, we understand their songs as a result of their faith and hope in Christ their savior. He had not abandoned them, so they did not abandon faith or hope. Faith and hope certainly would explain any calmness they displayed, any peace they exhibited, and any lack of worry, fear, or terror.

But they were singing. They were particularly singing hymns to God. Hymns, even then, were songs written about God, sung to God. They were informative, educational, and thoughtful. Not as easily memorized as a chorus, not as light as a chorus, not as fluffy as a chorus, nor as simplistic as a chorus.

Paul and Silas were probably singing well-thought-out descriptions of God’s attributes. They were probably singing theological discussions put to music. They were probably singing songs that focused deeply, purposefully, profoundly, and fanatically on God.

Because they loved God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Hymns, in a way, are love songs about our God. The lyrics are like love letters. Paul and Silas did sing due to their faith and hope. But mostly they sang because they loved.

Sing like that more often!

Take the love God grants us.

Singing and Hope

and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. (Revelation 14:3 ESV)

Singing and Hope

I have recently been pretending to play chess again. Many years ago, I was good enough to compete, but I have fallen out of practice. And now, it is a struggle to regain my chess skills of long ago. I have some hope… but not much. I might be too old.

I have recently been renewing my sleight-of-hand magician skills. Many years ago, I could perform card tricks, levitate small objects, and make coins disappear. Now it takes a lot of tedious repetition to reach my skill levels of long ago. I have some hope… but not much. My fingers might be too slow.

I have always wanted to fly a helicopter. It just seems cool. But not only are my reaction speeds too slow, my eyesight too poor, and my fear of heights too intense… but helicopters are expensive! I have no hope.

But some day I will sing! And so will all of Christ’s folk! Even if you have NO musical ability… even if you can not carry a tune in a basket… even if you are tone deaf… even if you can not memorize long verses… even if you have no musical talent…

You will sing!

And it will be grand.

The 144,000 is a symbol for ALL of God’s people, all of Christ’s redeemed, all of those who have entered heaven by way of Christ’s graceful gate.

We will sing!

Take the hope God grants us.

Singing and Faith

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. (55 Psalms!)

Singing and Faith

When I desire to teach something in song, I do not simply hum. While lyricless music is important, useful, and meaningful, there is an even closer tie between the words and faith.

We remember emotions, locations, and events through tunes, yes. But if we do not state those things with words, we cannot communicate those things to others in any sort of effective way. Music without words is much more relative and subjective than music attached to lyrics.

I yearn to learn the music that David played on his harp. But even David knew that the music alone was not enough. That is why David did not merely write harp-tunes. He wrote words along with those harp-tunes. And those words are what remain in God’s Word, in the Psalms.

In Ephesians 5:19, Paul describes this, encouraging us to be, “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” Notice the merging and intertwining and connection of the melody AND the words.

Maybe particularly in this Christmas season, we can see the importance of both tune and word… but the word carries the message. The words we sing nudge us to think, encourage us to remember, advocate our contemplation… and often drive us towards faith.

Maybe not Rudolph, and Santa Clause is Coming to Town… but Silent Night; O Come All Ye Faithful; Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming; and Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.

Take the Faith God grants us.

Home and Love

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. (I John 3:2 ESV)

Home and Love

It is rumored that long time pets begin to look like their family. (I might be offended by that concept, except my dog is better looking than me already.) Some science even indicates that husbands and wives take on physical characteristics of each other, both in appearance and behavior. And of course, children often look like their parents.

Home is powerful.

But I suspect that those transformations do not take place so readily in broken homes. Because it is love that causes us to imitate. It is love that allows us to absorb characteristics. It is love that lets us change.

And this will be true absolutely when we get to go home, to our Father’s place, to our Brother’s place, to our Kingdom home.

His love of us, and our responding love of Him, not only gains us access to Home, but that love will change us, sanctify us, repair us, transform us, and make us like Him.

Not merely in appearance, (although our bodies will somehow be LIKE His… Philippians 3:21) but more importantly, in our ability to love as He loves.

Coming home will do that for us.

Take the love God grants us.

Home and Hope

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? (John 14:2 ESV)

Home and Hope

When we relocated in 1983 to Little Rock, Arkansas, we had no idea where we would live. We spent the first nights in a hotel. A dark and danky hotel. Then we moved to the first apartment we could find. An unpleasant place that resulted in another apartment, followed by a slightly larger apartment, followed by a small house, followed finally by the house we think of as our home in Little Rock… near our church, our work, and our best friends.

But notice how long it took. Even today, almost forty years later, relocating feels a bit unsettling. We do not know exactly what our home will look like, feel like, and be like.

But our heavenly home is different. When we get there, we already can trust the surreal estate agent that has been preparing our way. When we get there, the One who prepared our place knows us, likes us, and loves us. And He has spent thousands of years getting things ready… building a place that will not be disappointing.

Mostly because that place is not all about us, our needs, our desires, our imaginations. That place, our home, is about being with our Father… being with our Savior… being with His precious Holy Spirit. Our ‘time’ will be spent with Him, without the distractions that we are used to experiencing. Our ‘time’ will be spent whole-heartedly praising Him, without the selfish moments that pull our attention away, now. Our ‘time’ will be spent singing, and dancing, and shouting, and smiling, and rejoicing, with peace, with joy, and with love. How could we be disappointed with our beloved?

But even the smaller personal details will delight. Jesus is not building a dull, gray, mundane home. It is a place of true order, of perfection, and of beauty. It is, in a sense, a return to creation (Adam’s home) that God called ‘good,’ and then, finally, after God created the family, (included in the over-arching description of Genesis 1:31) “VERY good.” Family… where we find home.

Our best home will be with God’s family.

Home and Faith

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. (Hebrews 13:14 ESV)

Home and Faith

I have moved approximately fifteen times, and somehow God has granted me the ability to feel at home almost immediately. Yet I do not envy the life of a pilgrim, a viking, or a wagon-trailing pioneer. Home is too precious, the familiar is too comfortable, the known is too familiar.

Lately, our society has been shifting. And sometimes it might seem that we have left home… or our home has left us. And that can be frightening.

But our real home has not been lost. Our home, in one sense, is yet to come. A perfect home, a loving home, an exciting home, a home in Christ’s presence, a home of peace. When we feel lost, look forward to that home.

Our knowledge of that home is based on what God has done long ago. Before God even put the first, foundational atoms of this universe together, He knew us… He loved us… and declared our home is with Him! (Ephesians 1:4,5)

Our home is found, therefore, in faith.

Nationalism and Love

When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:33-34 ESV)

Nationalism and Love

I was the new kid in school. And it was difficult. Friendships in my class had already been well established. And the cliques already were not enthusiastic about non-clique folk, let alone a newcomer. They had learned (after no doubt, the discipline of teachers) to be tolerant of those other schoolmates, but a completely new face? They were not interested in me.

We generally do not like outsiders.

In Leviticus 19:18, God had already commanded the Israelites to love their neighbors as they loved their own people. He was referring to those Canaanites that would be allowed to dwell in Israel after the conquest. That was already hard for them to hear, I expect. But God pushes the concept even more.

Despite the fact that the Israelites were just starting to feel that they were special in God’s eyes… the apple of His eye, so to speak… God tells them that they were to love those NON special folk. And not just the remaining Canaanites… but even complete outsiders, even strangers.

God reminds His people here that nation is not as important as relationship, particularly relationship with Him.

They were not the beloved of God, the bride of His Son, because of nationality. Rather they had nationality because they were His beloved. It starts with God’s last statement in Leviticus 19:34. “I am the Lord YOUR God.” He is their God, and therefore they are His people.

And that models for the Israelites His intentions for their relationships with outsiders. The Israelites were broken outsiders whom God surprisingly loved. They were very ‘other.’ Yet He chose to love them. And so these special, set apart Israelites were supposed to love outsiders in the same way.

They were not particularly good at it. Think of Jonah and the Ninevites. Think of The Jews and the Samaritans.

Hopefully, remembering that, we can be better, ourselves.

It is far too easy for us to be prejudiced against other nations, other ethnic groups, the other gender, other skin colors, other political viewpoints, other personalities, other anythings. When the only distinction that matters is whether all those other peoples are the Lord’s.

Take the love God grants us.

Nationalism and Hope

…so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth… (Philippians 2:10 ESV)

Nationalism and Hope

I begin every football game with hope. I hope my team will win. Even if I am not loyal to one of the competing teams, I will temporarily choose a team to like, so that I can watch the game with hope.

That same hope extends towards my country. I like my country. I appreciate my country. I enjoy my country. And so, in the words of Andre the Giant, “I hope we win.”

That same hope is even MORE true regarding my real citizenship in the Kingdom of God. (Philippians 3:20)I hope that God’s Kingdom wins. I hope it stretches from sea to sea, from mountain to mountain, from river to river, and from end to end. I hope that the Kingdom of God will be visibly triumphant.

And it will be.

Every knee will bow… both those that bow in joy, and those that bow in sorrow. Every knee will bow… both those that bow willingly, and those that bow in subjection. Every knew will bow… bot those that bow in hope, and those that bow in terror.

May it be soon, Lord Jesus.

Take the hope God grants us.

Nationalism and Faith

He makes nations great, and he destroys them; He enlarges nations, and leads them away. (Job 12:23 ESV)

Nationalism and Faith

I used to brag about my Fork-Lift Driving License. I had completed a course and had received a plastic card that entitled me to drive fork-lifts. AND I felt that few others also had such an amazing license. Surprisingly, I eventually realized that no one else really cared about the Grand Association of Fork-Lift Operators.

It was not as important as I had thought.

Nations are also not as important as we think.

Our identity is often tied up in our nation, country, or homeland. Our Nation defines who we are, what we do, and what we think is important. We are Americans, or Australians, or British, or Dutch. And the potential loss of that part of our identity feels devastatingly terrifying.

But Job understands something that we do not.

As useful, beautiful, and strong as our Nation might be, Nations pale to insignificance in the face, light, and presence of our Lord. He moves them like pawns. He raises them and destroys them according to His Will. Nations, in God’s eyes are trivial.

Because HIS Kingdom is powerful. Because HIS Kingdom is eternal. Because HIS Kingdom is what matters. Because HIS Kingdom is His.

When the Nation you depend on is faltering, remember that your citizenship is in a stronger Kingdom. (Philippians 3:20) When the Nation you love is changing, remember that your citizenship is in an unchanging Kingdom. (Luke 1:33) When the Nation you are loyal to is traitorous to your ideals, remember that your citizenship is in a Kingdom that God has created. (I Peter 2:9)

Your citizenship is in a Kingdom based on faith. The faith that God has given you like a plastic membership card in His Kingdom.

And THIS Kingdom matters.

Take the faith God grants us.

Music and Love

Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda. (Proverbs 25:20 ESV)

Music and Love

Music and love are interconnected. Not merely do we often use music to assist in romantic feelings, but music, scripturally, is an important tool of love.

Consider this Proverb. Singing songs is a way to lift the heart of someone suffering. The Proverb does not examine exactly how this works. And really, we do not need to know. Somehow, music is an act of kindness. Somehow, music is something we can do FOR someone else. Somehow, music is an indicator of encouragement, thoughtfulness, and affection.

In other words, music communicates love. In fact, music is a means of love.

Consider David, when first called into King Saul’s service. Already by this time, David knew that God intended David to be the King of Israel. And while eventually loyal David served Saul best in the battlefield, David began by showing his loyalty, devotion, and formal love to King Saul by playing music for him. (I Samuel 16:21-22)

Clearly, that music helped Saul, and so was an act of love from David. Clearly that music lifted Saul’s heavy heart, and so was an act of love from David. Clearly that music eventually was a sacrificial, dangerous action, and so was an act of love from David.

If music sooths the grieving heart, lifts our praises to God, provides insights into our troubles, calms our fears, raises our spirits, relieves our internal pains, and provides peace in conflict, than we should give music to each other more often.

Because we love.

Take the love God grants us.

Music and Hope

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40:3 ESV)

Music and Hope

Perhaps the most famous Kansan of all, Dorothy, is silly. She sings of a better time and place, somewhere, just over that rainbow. But her hope has no foundation. It is Hollywood hope.

Similarly, the orphan, Annie, is silly. She sings of tomorrow’s sunrise, with the good things she thinks the sun will bring. But her hope has no foundation. It is a Hollywood hope.

Christians have a hope that is real. It is a hope that is solidly founded on the love of the One true living God. It is a hope that is solidly founded on the unconditional love of our dead and resurrected savior, Christ Jesus. It is a hope that is solidly founded in the promises of the God who knows the future as surely is He knows the past, and the present.

And while today we might be singing dirges, laments, or the blues, Psalm 40 promises us a new song. Psalm 40 promises us that we will understand God enough to wholeheartedly praise Him, with honest completeness. Psalm 40 promises us that our music will be wonderful.

And result of that music will be the expansion of God’s kingdom. The more we sing, the more lost souls will find hope and trust in God.

That is no mere Hollywood hope.

Take the hope God grants us.

Music and Faith

Saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” (Hebrews 2:12 ESV)

Music and Faith

Words are the tools of stories. But they are not the only tools that can relay information, persuade, encourage, admonish, delight, and tell stories.

Music can do those things, too.

Here, in Hebrews,singing is used to praise God. But not simply by relaying feelings, the previous sentence also shows that music can be used to inform. To describe God’s name. To connect the author’s ‘brothers.’ To unite the congregation.

I personally can not fathom music doing such things without the foundation of words. But it is clear that the Word of God can be illuminated, understood, and driven into our hearts through God’s created music.

We often push music into the category of emotions, feelings, and gushy stuff. But music is also, apparently, a means of informing, convincing, and connecting.

And maybe even an avenue for faith.

God grants us faith when our reason comes up short. Faith and reason are both ways for God to teach us, change us, challenge us, and encourage us.

And God has given us music as a way to nudge us towards faith.

Thus music is an integral part of worship. Thus music moves us. Thus music assists our understanding. Thus music gives rise to love, aimed at both God and mankind.

In times of doubt, let music encourage you. Let music remind you of God’s love. In times of fear, let music strengthen you. Let music remind you of God’s power. In times of worry, let music calm you. Let music remind you of God’s faithfulness.

Take the faith God grants us.

War and Love

…and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (II Corinthians 6:18 ESV)

Love and War

We were watching a movie on TV recently, and suddenly we saw a young woman whom we knew years ago. While the movie had been tolerably fine up to that point, NOW things were different!

We love to watch our beloved at work.

When I pretended to play Little League Baseball, my parents would attend. They did not come to the game because of my skill. They attended because the loved me.

We love to watch our beloved at work.

“Take your child to work” days are popular with children. Not because they care about auto sales, spreadsheets, or meetings. But children enjoy seeing their parents no matter what the parents are doing, at least for a little while.

We love to watch our beloved at work.

Jesus fights for us. He fought in His life, He fought in His death, and He fought in His Resurrection. He fights for us from His throne, He fights for us in our prayers, He fights for us in His ongoing ordering of the universe. One of God’s most famous names (in the Old AND New Testaments) is El-Shaddai. Which is usually translated as the Lord Almighty.

Knowing that He is already victorious allows us to consider, understand, and watch the Lord’s battles with a sort of joy. Knowing that the Lord fights on our behalf allows us to relax during the battle. Knowing that the Almighty One uses His power, His grace, and His love on our behalf lets us joyfully watch the war.

Take the love God grants us.

War and Hope

(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.

War and Faith

The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name. (Exodus 15:3 ESV)

War and Faith

When I was young, war seemed glamorous. Human warriors were exciting, heroic, and admirable. But while those who protect others through making war are noble, war itself is not. Robert E. Lee said it best when he said something like: “It is well that war is so terrible – otherwise we should grow too fond of it.”

In Moses’ song described in Exodus 15, though, we learn something important about war. As terrible as it is… as deadly as it is… as destructive as it is… as life-ruining as it is… It is still merely a tool in God’s almighty hands.

He is a ‘man of war.’

Sometimes we act and pray like war is outside of God’s bailiwick. But even war is a wielded by God to accomplish His goals, His very good goals.

The wars found in scripture display this hard-to-understand fact. God used war during the conquest of Canaan to remove unrighteousness, to teach His weak children to depend on Him, and to establish His Kingdom on earth for a time.

God used war as first Israel, and then Judah fell to God’s servants (albeit perhaps unwittingly) to discipline His wayward folk, to diminish pride, and to prepare the way for the suffering servant.

And we might see war again. And we will not like it. And we should not like it.

But remembering that the Lord is a man of war can be a conduit for faith. War is His, as much as peace. War is not something to fear, or worship, or set as an impossible barrier to God’s work. War is His.

And not only national military conflict. These things are also true concerning our war with temptation. These things are also true concerning our war with our sinful nature. These things are true with the battles going on with God’s enemies: the flesh, the world, and Satan.

Take the faith God grants us.