What can we do for our sons and daughters in Iraq?

A father prays – for family members in the military and for citizens of war-torn nations.

from the March 26, 2007 edition

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I dared in my thinking to substitute "Iraq" for "the earth." To say that "Iraq is full of the goodness of the Lord" seems shocking, as though one were in denial.

Yet as I pondered this biblical promise, it occurred to me that either I believed in God's all-power, declared and promised in the Scripture, or I didn't. If there could be a place devoid of God's power, care, and love – His goodness – then we all are in trouble.

It's all too easy to feel insignificant and powerless in the face of chaos and war. Yet Elisha, who did not allow himself to feel that way, instantly responded to the threat of violence with prayer. Mary Baker Eddy, who founded this newspaper, wrote encouragingly of the power of God, divine Love, "Love is especially near in times of hate, and never so near as when one can be just amid lawlessness, and render good for evil" ("Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896," p. 277).

The story of Elisha tells me that my contribution, halfway across the planet from these war zones, can be prayerful and consistent. My affirmations of God's power are not theoretical platitudes or airy denials of media reports. They let me glimpse the reality of God's creation, where all is order and harmony.

All heartfelt prayers tend to lift the thought of humanity, to help see that good can be established even in war zones, that our loved ones can be protected, and that all persons of goodwill can find win-win solutions to even the biggest problems.

So, in a very real sense, Iraq and Afghanistan are full of God's goodness. My contribution, I think, is to affirm that, and to expect that this truth carries with it the power to change human consciousness in grand and beneficial ways.

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth,
and even for evermore.
Psalms 121:8

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