Opportunity Lost?

 This is my first post on this blog. I will only post when I feel passionately about issues affecting this present age and the people in it.

The Challenge

October 7, 2023. This was a very dark day for the world. One year ago today, the terror group Hamas invaded, slaughtered, tortured, and terrorized the people of Israel. I cannot describe the pain and grief they experienced, or their sense of loss and outrage over this event, so I will not try - except to agree that this must never be allowed to happen again, anywhere on earth.

The challenge for the civilized world is that this continues to happen on a much larger scale in Ukraine at the hands of another evil member of that same alliance. And it happens on a much less public stage to people of faith in many nations and lands today, including our own land which is being infiltrated by foreign gangs and terror cells.

The Opportunity

Thanks to Israel we now have the opportunity to defeat the despots that control these terror groups, and roll back their ability to dominate  their own people. But this opportunity requires leadership, leadership which my country is lacking. Today we could say to the people of Lebanon (formerly a Christian democracy), that we stand with them against Hezbollah, that we stand with the Iranian people against their radical Mullahs, that we stand with the Palestinians who long to be free from the grip of Hamas, and with the people of Ukraine against the brutal invasion of Russia.

The Question

The question posed by this political season is this - will we squander the opportunity? The people of Iran are mostly ready to overthrow their own despotic government, with just a little encouragement from their friends. We were on the verge of seeing a modernized middle east when the Abraham Accords were accepted by Saudi Arabia and other emerging countries in that region. Iran recognized the threat of modernity and became much more aggressive against Israel in response. Now Israel has become embroiled in a war against the powers of evil that threaten the entire western world.

Israel is willing to be the tip of the spear in this war for their own survival. We have the opportunity to  enable them to regain control of their own land. This opportunity briefly exists today, but it requires strong leadership to realize it. Israel has strong leaders today - what will tomorrow bring for US? We have the choice to live under the shadow of a growing menace to the world, or to seize the opportunity to push this evil back into the darkest chapters of history.

I cannot say that this opportunity will last, or that it hinges only on our votes. The power of Almighty God is required to truly defeat the enemy in our time. With repentance, prayer and unity, we can stand with people of faith around the world. Let's put the U back in United States of America - you and I can stand together as people who believe in God and love the freedom He has given us. I'm praying and voting, will U?