ANOTHER VIEW: Pray for righteousness, even as war looms on the horizon

January 13, 2003

ANOTHER VIEW:
Pray for righteousness, even as war looms on the horizon
___By Bob Campbell
___Is war with Iraq inevitable?
___I certainly hope not! I have been praying for peace diligently since last fall. At times in my prayers, I realize I am telling God what I think his options are--as if there could be no more. But still, I have been praying for a way out of this terrible mess.
___War is an ugly, hideous monster that devours all who associate with it. War means death, broken human bodies, disease, starvation, polluted water, destroyed crops and the destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, etc. War is expensive--both in human life and dollars. The aftermath is a lifetime of nightmares, with psychological and physical damage.
___The United States and its allies will experience the death and dismemberment of some of our finest young men and women. The same will be true for our enemies. Our enemies are not demons--they are human beings created in the divine image of God. Yet because of a multitude of circumstances, they are our enemies for now.
___God cannot be happy to see his creation so distorted from the beauty of the garden he placed in Eden. Yet sin entered one man, Adam, and through Adam entered all mankind--male and female alike. Because of our sinfulness, God has shed many a tear. His heart has been broken by his creation. We have disappointed him--fallen short of the glory he intended for us. War is one of the most dreadful and awful means we have to disappoint God.
___No thinking Christian is ever "thrilled" by the prospect of war. No thinking Christian could ever look forward to a time of war. Yet because of man's sinfulness, war is part and parcel of our world.
___As I said, I have been praying for peace. I have asked God to work a miracle and spare us from war. I have asked God in so many ways to deliver us from this seemingly inevitable conflict with Iraq. I have asked if somehow Saddam Hussein could come to his senses and reveal his weapons of mass destruction and invite the United Nations to come in and supervise their destruction. I have asked God that if that is not possible, could Saddam Hussein be overthrown by more reasonable men of Iraq with a minimal loss of life--including Hussein's and his family. I have asked God to show Hussein the future--to show him the destruction and terrible things his unwillingness to cooperate will cause. I have hoped that by such a vision, Hussein might repent of his pride and arrogance.
___I have asked God to show Saddam Hussein "Christ"--high and lifted up--to have a Damascus road vision and life-changing experience like the Apostle Paul. I have asked God to reveal himself to those in Hussein's leadership--to change their minds so that they somehow might dissuade Hussein from this horrendous course moving the world toward war.
___I have prayed that if the war comes, it will be a last resort--every avenue of diplomacy will have failed. I have prayed that such a war would be swift and short, with a minimal amount of casualties and loss to both sides. I have asked that God spare as many of our men and women as possible and to do the same for our enemies. I have prayed for victory, but only a victory that allows us to help the Iraqi people rebuild their broken nation.
___ I have prayed for wisdom and morality for President Bush and for his cabinet officers who advise him. I have prayed that Congress and the nation as a whole will be supportive of our troops. I have asked God to minimize the protesters who inevitably give aid and comfort to our enemies.
___But first and foremost, I have prayed for a righteous spirit toward our enemies, if indeed we must do this thing called "war."
___May God have mercy on us all.

___Bob Campbell is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and pastor of Westbury Baptist Church in Houston

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