War—What side is God’s side?

Today’s headlines bear witness that we are at war not just of weaponry, but words:

“God does not bless any conflict." The Pope

“The Pope…is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The President

The Pope vs. the President, hawks vs. doves, partisan politics vs. peace—war is a battlefield of sides. There are no neutrals in a foxhole. So, the question is: Whose side are you on, better still, whose side is God’s side when it comes to war, not only its reality, but also its tactic. We all face conflict. Since humankind is a spiritual creature made in God’s image, our war is an unconventional one requiring unconventional weaponry—a strange fire—if you will because our enemy is not of this realm according to Ephesians:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

What is one way to fight unconventionally?  Elisha was in an unconventional war worth remembering. We see him in II Kings 6:15-23 where he uses an unconventional strategy to defeat an enemy.  We will see we need to look at our enemy differently, and treat our enemy differently, to take them to an unnegotiable table.  

We need to see the fight through the eyes of God. God opened the eyes of the servant to show him that God was in the fight:¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he can see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw that the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

We need to see that there is more help from God that cannot be seen with the natural eye. We need to see with the spiritual eye. Ask God to remove the human veil that plagues us all and show me the “horses and chariots of fire.” Show me the Spiritual because it is there where the Kingdom victories lay.

Second, we need to treat our enemy the way we want to be treated. God’s way was to feed (love) their enemy with the results that were loving and lasting.

²² He replied, “Do not strike them down! You did not capture them with your sword or bow, so what gives you the right to strike them down? Give them some food and water, so they can eat and drink and then go back to their master.”

God has always stressed that we fight our enemies unconventionally with love. Love your enemy). Feed your enemy: Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. ²¹ Romans 12:20-21

Your enemy expects you to retaliate, fire with like fire. But you throw them off balance when you respond with an open hand offering a cup of kindness rather than a closed fist of violence. It is then when the enemy is open to change.

Finally, we need to remember the unconventional war strategy of the Lord’s Table. The Lord’s Table was God’s strategy to defeat the enemy: forgiveness through Christ. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:28.

Bring your enemy to the table and remember to feed them forgiveness and love—the main course of the main meal. In the classroom and on the school yard, I look for two kids—the bully and the bullied. The bully is really a hurting kid, and hurt people hurt people. That is why they bully. “You are better than this. Today, you will be my assistant. Represent.” They rise to the challenge. That’s feeding.

To the bullied kid, I do the same—reverse the script. “You are stronger, faster, more victorious—a winner. Today, you will be my assistant. Represent.” They generally rise to the image. That’s feeding.

And if any of the two—bully or bullied—are hungry physically, I feed them as well. When they become men and women, they will likely remember those moments, not as warfare but as compassion, and live up to them. We are at war more today. Fight the good fight “not by might, not by power but by My Spirit says the Lord” according to Zachariah 4:6.

My Spirit--that’s where you’ll find God’s side in the fog of war.

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