Hezbollah launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel yesterday morning. The attack could have been far worse: Israeli jets simultaneously struck thousands of Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon prior to the terror group’s attack, a preemptive operation that greatly limited the damage in Israel. Hezbollah claimed that it had only aimed at military targets, but according to the IDF, Hezbollah had aimed rockets at Tel Aviv, the most populous city in Israel, as well as targets further north. Hezbollah called yesterday’s launch “phase one” of an attack on Israel; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likewise stated that yesterday’s conflict is “not the end of the story.”
Later in the day, sirens sounded in central Israel after a projectile launched from the Gaza Strip fell into an open area, a reminder that the Jewish nation remains under threat from all directions.
I am praying by name today for my friends who live in Israel. If you were among them, upon what could you base your confidence in the future?
“We Thought We Were Negotiating Peace with Hamas”
You could trust your government to negotiate peace and your military to protect you in the event of war. But the 2006 cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah clearly has not prevented ongoing conflict. Time after time, Israel has negotiated peace agreements with Hamas, only to see the terrorists break them and renew their attacks on the Jewish state.
One of my longtime friends in Israel told me after the October 7 atrocities, “We thought we were negotiating peace with Hamas. Now we know we were only giving them time to prepare for war.” And as the October 7 invasion showed, the Israeli military cannot guarantee the safety of its people. Another Israeli friend explained to me that one of the grave problems with Hezbollah’s missiles and drones is that many are capable of flying below Israeli radar and thus evading their missile defense systems.
As a second option, you could trust your future to yourself. You could construct a bomb shelter or live adjacent to one. You could reinforce your home or otherwise seek to protect yourself. But early warnings may not be forthcoming in upcoming strikes. No bomb shelters are capable of withstanding all bombs. And even if you survived, what kind of life would you have in a nation devastated by war?
Americans may think we are immune from such threats, but we’re not. Oceans that protected us from our enemies in previous world wars cannot shelter us from cyberterrorism that could dismantle our energy, water, and financial infrastructures. Bioweapons and dirty bombs could be used by terrorists who are already inside our borders. Attacks such as the ISIS stabbing spree that killed three people in Germany and the synagogue blast in France can happen here as well. Not to mention the potential threats posed by artificial intelligence, genomics, and deep partisan divisions.
Let’s get more personal: What fears of the future are you facing today?
What should you do with them?
“Lead Me to the Rock That Is Higher Than I”
David wisely prayed, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2). Even though he was Israel’s most beloved king, he knew that there is a King with greater authority than his, an omniscient and omnipotent Lord whose wisdom and strength he needed.
Why should we make David’s faith our own?
First, because of what God has done for us. David followed his prayer with this acknowledgement: “for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (v. 3). Consider all that your Lord has done in your life. Has he granted you eternal life? Has he forgiven every sin you’ve confessed to him? Has he met your needs with his mercy and grace?
Second, because of what God will do for us. David next prayed, “Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!” (v. 4). He knew that the One he trusts today is the One he can trust with his eternal destiny.
As a result, David could conclude his prayer: “So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day” (v. 8). His example is in God’s word, so we can follow it today.
How?
Three Biblical Steps to Personal Peace
One: Submit to God’s Spirit. To experience God’s best, we must repent of self-reliance and ask his Spirit to lead and empower us (Ephesians 5:18). C. S. Lewis was right: “If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been proof that you were not.”
Two: Trust your future to your Father. Name your fears and give them specifically and intentionally to your Lord (2 Timothy 1:7). Corrie ten Boom observed, “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
Three: Focus on the present. This day is the only day that exists. All of God there is is in this moment (Exodus 3:14). The author James Clear noted:
“Guilt lives in the past. Worry lives in the future. Peace lives in the present.”
Will you choose such peace today?
*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.
Quote for the Day:
“All the peace and favor of the world cannot calm a troubled heart; but where this peace is which Christ gives, all the trouble and disquiet of the world cannot disturb it.” —Robert Leighton (1613–1684)
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Stringer
Published Date: August 26, 2024
Jim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries. Denison Ministries includes DenisonForum.org, First15.org, ChristianParenting.org, and FoundationsWithJanet.org. Jim speaks biblically into significant cultural issues at Denison Forum. He is the chief author of The Daily Article and has written more than 30 books, including The Coming Tsunami, the Biblical Insight to Tough Questions series, and The Fifth Great Awakening.
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.
For more from the Denison Forum, please visit www.denisonforum.org.
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