In War, Whose Side Is God On?

The teenager listened on his shortwave as Adolf Hitler made yet another speech on the virtues of fighting against the Allies. From his home country of the Netherlands, he was keen on learning the German language but something about Hitler confused him. Why did this Nazi leader always end his speech with, "May God be with us!" This was senseless, as millions of lives were being snuffed out due to the German war machine. How could God be with those Germans? Was He not with the Allies instead?

This story is as ironic as a Bible story found in Joshua 5:13-15. Joshua was leader of the Israelites and was ready to attack the city of Jericho. He saw a man standing and holding a drawn sword. Joshua went forward and said to him. "Are you for us, or for our enemies?"

The man said, "No; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have come." Joshua realized that he wasn't talking to some ordinary man but to a higher power; it wasn't important to find out if God was on his side or the side of the enemy. What was more important was the question, "Whose side am I on?"

As we look at our war-torn world, death, enemies, allies, cold wars, and surreptitious leaders, we are alarmed as the blood of young soldiers and innocent lives are spilled on the ground. Very often those who kill, end up killing those who believe in the same Creator of life. God does not take sides in this kind of war. He is more interested in whose side we are on. Are we on His side or not? Whether you are a soldier, a veteran, or a stay-at-home parent worrying about your child in war, He asks, "As commander of the army of the Lord, whose side are you on?"

A suggested prayer:
"God, I am really interested in being on your side in this war called life. Yes, war does not make sense as life is snuffed out like candles in a wind. I ask, God, that you come into my life and help me to make sense of all this suffering. Jesus, I thank You that Your blood was shed so that my life could have new meaning. Amen!"

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Contributed by George Prins.