Many things occur in this world that do not
make sense. When we try to make “sense” (by the human understanding of “sense”)
of the “senseless” (by the human understanding of “senseless”), often all we
accomplish is our despair. Rarely (if ever!) do we succeed in making “sense” of
situations that are “senseless” to us.
Because this society provides a high standard of living for so many, people in
this society often forget they live in a war zone. That is not the voice of
paranoia. There is the war against poverty, the war against forces that threaten
the physical environment, the war against self-serving political forces, the
wars against addictions, the war against suffering, etc. There are as many wars
as there are injustices!
Most of those wars directly involve only a segment of society. While the wars
target real problems, those real problems are perceived by only a fragment of
society. While proponents of those wars shout all society is at risk, all
society does not feel at risk.
There is a war that is more massive in scope than all other forms of war. It is
the war between good and evil (Ephesians 6:10-12). While this war shares some
things in common with other wars (for example, not all society feels
threatened), there are some distinct, unique qualities about this war. (1) Even
though all society does not feel at risk, it often makes immediate casualties of
the unsuspecting. (2) The consequences and carnage of this war surround us on a
daily basis. (3) This war is much more complex than human greed, human
arrogance, human selfishness, and the lust for human power. (4) Even the finest
of human efforts and intents will not and cannot end this war.
It is not fun to live in a war zone! The first casualty of war is peace. War by
nature brings conflict, death, insecurity, hardship, injustice, fear, and
constant uncertainty. It is because wars by their nature are destructive that
people always prefer to fight them “in the other man’s territory.”
However, the war between good and evil is fought in human minds and motives. We
are the battleground! When we try to make “sense” out of the “senseless”
occurrences in our lives, how do we generate hope instead of despair?
(1) We accept as truth that we do indeed live in a war zone. (2) We prepare
ourselves to survive the heat of war (Ephesians 6:13-18). (3) We understand
God’s purposes in defending good are greater than our desires as the
battleground. (4) We also realize that evil is not without its resources. (5) We
understand that success is not determined by physical desire but by eternal
destination.
There are some things we will never understand in this physical world. However,
that is okay. Why? It is okay because we know the One who will defeat evil. When
evil is defeated, the senseless will make sense—as surely as Jesus’ death NOW
makes sense!
Link to other Writings of David Chadwell