On the Eve of War in Iraq, is Columbia A Severe Mercy
for America?
By Dr. Paul Cain
With J. Thomas Smith
As a special envoy for President Clinton on two missions
to Iraq, I had an opportunity to meet and pray for Saddam Hussein, Tariq
Aziz and others. I carried God’s hope that these men might be transformed
by the work of His Spirit. God often chooses the darkest places in the
earth to send revival, and there was hope because Iraq supported Christian
churches like no other nation in the Middle East. Nothing suggested that
they wanted war with the United States. Imminent war in Iraq grieves me. I
do not believe that going into Iraq is God’s call on our nation now.
However, it appears that we are headed for war. America needs to
prepare with a special day of humility and reconciliation, to seek God’s
plans and repent of our national sin. The Shuttle Columbia tragedy gives us
new reasons to do so.
What might God be saying through the Columbia tragedy,
which seemed “mystical” according to an Israeli observer? All reports
carried meaning and message. Rolling thunder was the first sign, followed by
a flurry of news stories saying that eyewitnesses saw debris falling in
Palestine, Texas. Ilan Ramon, the astronaut from Israel had been a pilot in
the 1981 pre-emptive strike on Iraq’s nuclear facility at Osirak. Son of a
holocaust survivor of Auschwitz, he carried a microfilm copy of the Hebrew
Bible given to him by Israeli President Katsov. He held televised
interviews from space with Ariel Sharon. Looking down on Jerusalem below, he
recited the ancient Shema prayer: “Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God is
one…” When interviewed on the BBC, he said, “I feel I'm representing the
whole Jewish people.”
Captain Rick Husband was a born again Christian who,
along with fellow crew member, Michael Anderson, attended the same
evangelical church. Steve Green, the Christian singer, and close friend of
the Husbands, testified that Rick was humble but quite vocal about his
faith, and never missed an opportunity to give Glory to the Lord. Just
before the astronauts opened the door to meet the press in their orange
flight suits, Rick stopped to lead the crew in prayer.
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Columbia-- the First Shuttle launched by NASA
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Columbia was the first Space Shuttle launched by NASA in
1981. A symbol of American achievement, it was named after the Boston ship
that made the first American circumnavigation of the globe. “Columbia” was a
name for the thirteen American colonies. Our capitol, the District of
Columbia, takes its name from this history. “Columbia” is a symbol of
America, its bravery, technology, achievements, and government. Captain
Husband reminds us of all like him in America, including our born again,
Godly President who never misses the opportunity to give glory to the Lord.
Could the Columbia break-up over Texas be a message to our President about
the seriousness of the Israeli and Palestinian plight? God’s Word clearly
makes known His desire to reestablish Israel to the land bequeathed to her.
God's prophet Amos (Amos 13:15) assures us that never
again will the people of Israel be removed from the land God gave them. The
prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 12:3) tells us that God also promises to oppose
all nations who attempt to do so. Dividing up Israel’s land is at the heart
of God’s opposition according to the prophet Joel (Joel 3:2). In pursuing
creation of a Palestinian state on Israel's land, is America both standing
in sin and opposing God? And what is the Lord saying to the Palestinians?
Let us not forget that His love extends to them as much as to us and to the
Jewish people. We must pursue in prayer the Lord’s strategy for these people
in this hour. Many condemn the Palestinians for their stance against Israel;
but that must not deter us from actively praying and loving them into the
Kingdom of God. Ishmael was also precious in God’s sight.
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A Defect in "Ship America"
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Columbia tells us there is a defect in ship America. The
Bible calls it sin and we have forgotten that God holds nations to account.
On the eve of war, America acts like we have obeyed the covenants of God.
But we are a nation recovering from unprecedented moral decline. The blood
of our children has been shed in abortion clinics for over thirty years and
has spilled out into our schools and churches. A few short years ago, we
supplied chemical weapons and missiles to Iraq for use in its War against
Iran. Today, we condemn those weapons in Iraq as a justification for war.
The Bible tells us that Josiah was a godly king who brought revival, but
Israel was defeated in war because of the sins of his predecessor, Manasseh.
In another Bible story, Israel has a great victory at
Jericho, but failure to ask God for His plan and their hidden sin brought
defeat at the battle of Ai. Columbia could be “a severe mercy”- an act of
great pain difficult to understand, but leading to redemption.
