
"Let
everyone who is Godly pray to you while you may be found" (Psalm 32:6)
WAR WITH IRAQ: Part
#4
Praying for Victory in a "Just War"
The LORD is a man of war... Your
right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces... You have
overthrown those who rose against You... Your wrath...consumed
them... (Ex 15:1-18).
France, Germany, Russia and many other nations are vocally
opposed to a war against Iraq. But what does God say? Our understanding
of Scripture will shape the nature of our prayers in the coming
weeks and months.
·Ambrose, the 4th Century scholar (Augustine's pastor
and mentor), was a student of Scripture and the early Church
fathers. He taught that military service is a high calling and
that Biblical love is the motivation for using military force.
Failure to use force when required is a clear failure to love,
e.g., a person who stands by while his neighbor is attacked
is not acting as a Christian. He taught, too that the Emperor
had a Divine mandate to maintain civil order so that the Church
might carry on its work. Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin and others
built upon these principles.
·The Reformers held firmly to a "Just War"
doctrine. Military warfare, at times, is the only righteous
option for leaders and nations to take. Derived from Old and
New Testament principles, the doctrine is held by most conservative,
Protestant Bible scholars today.
·Biblical tradition set forth five criteria to adjudge
a war as a "Just war":
1)Proper Authority - war must be commenced by those with God-given
authority (Lk 4:18);
2)Just Cause - Those targeted must deserve attack because of
wrong they have done (Ps 7:9-16);
3)Right Intention - Our true motive must be to advance good,
avoid evil, secure peace, and bring justice. We must have clear,
righteous aims (Ps 139:19-24);
4)War is the Only Way to Right the Wrong - And it is the last
resort (Ec 3:1, 3, 8);
5)Reasonable Hope for Success - War, with its death and collateral
damage, must not be embarked upon if it cannot be won and its
righteous objectives accomplished (Lk 14:31-32).
God's love compels us to physically defend our neighbors.
When it is in their power to stop tyrants, can God-fearing nations
stand idly by and watch godless tyrants murder, rape and pillage
their own citizens and neighbors, and feverishly pursue the
construction of weapons that will extend their tyranny to the
entire world? We are in a very dangerous period of World History
(there are other tyrants, e.g., in North Korea, China &
elsewhere). We must pray without ceasing.
Please Join Us in Ceaseless Prayer:
--Heavenly Father, we are a sinful People. Please forgive
us, cleanse us, REVIVE us, & make us fit to fight a JUST
WAR.
--Be with our Troops! Protect our young men & women. Make
them Instruments of Righteousness, Justice & Liberation!
--Limit the harm to innocent non-combatant Iraqis.
--Shorten this war & Cause your overarching purposes to
be accomplished. In Jesus' Name, Amen (Gen 9:5-6; Ps 18:34-43;
25:19; 51:1-5; 66:7; 119:126; Pr 24:11-12; 28:4; Is 61:1-2;
Jer 51:29-64; Dan 4:17ff; Mt 24:21-22; Rev 6:2).
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