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!