Joshua 11: Pray for Peace

"So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the Lord had told Moses.  Joshua then gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments.  After this, the land had rest from war."

Joshua 11:23

This great war of Israel had a God-given mission, which all the people agreed with - conquest.  As soon as the mission was accomplished, the wars ended and peace was restored.

When is the last time that the American people could agree about a war we were in?  It was World War II - the last time in American history when the elected Congress declared a war.  Not every American wanted to enter this war, but after our own soil was attacked at Pearl Harbor the vast majority agreed to retaliate.  Clear objectives were set, the war was won a few years later, and peace ensued.

Contrast that with every war since.  Vietnam, Korea, Iraq...  a good history buff could list at least a dozen undeclared wars we've been in since WW2.  None of these had the popular support of the people.  None of these was declared by Congress.  None of these had clear-cut, unchanging goals.  None of these ended quickly, and none of these ended with peace.

This is why the Constitution of the United States of America requires that Congress declares a war, instead of the President.  Otherwise, there will be perpetual war and peace will be unreachable.

Question of the Day:

Do you want peace?  Which presidential candidate(s) would you trust to bring peace?  Which senatorial and representative candidates would you trust to restore Congress's authority in war declaration?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, guide our nation's leaders towards peace.  Help our nation's citizens understand the workings of the wars we are and have been engaged in, so that we may make better, more informed decisions about who to elect as our legislative and executive leaders.  Bring light on the truth about our potential leaders' motives so that we can say no to corruption and say yes to true servant leaders.  Help us to choose leaders who model Your Son's example of love, peace, compassion, and strength against opposition.  Amen.