Many have been watching the news of the war between Israel and Hamas with concern and anxiety. News reports the threat of greater wars, hatred, violence, and rampant crime. Drugs, the demise of morality, economic woes, and political stalemate also weigh on our minds. What can we do? Where can we go for safety?

Since the depraved and unspeakably inhuman massacre of Israeli citizens in southern Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, there is increasing fear of wider conflict resulting in World War III.

In 1965, popular singer and actor Frank Sinatra had a hit song featured in the play Guys and Dolls. The song contained this lyric: “If you’ve ever been a lady to begin with, Luck, be a lady tonight!” It was a musical appeal to allow the singer to be a winner in a game of chance and in the “game” of life. Reliance on luck or good fortune is an ancient belief rooted in paganism that has influenced mankind throughout history.

James 1:27 tells us that “pure and undefiled religion” involves visiting orphans and widows. There are probably multiple reasons why God commands such actions, but modern research points how important such service is to those who need it.

Over the last 30 years, many of the world’s largest and most advanced nations have decreased their production capacity for weapons and ammunition. This was a result of a perceived decrease in the threat of war. However, the war in Ukraine has changed this scenario. As that war approaches its two-year anniversary, both Russia and Ukraine are running low on ammunition.

Not long ago, I attended an emotional family funeral and burial. It took place in a large Pennsylvania cemetery that contained graves going back to the 1700s. The cemetery’s website explained that the oldest legible tombstone dated to 1764, almost 260 years ago. Walking through that old cemetery made me think, Many people have been in these graves for over 200 years, far longer than they lived. As I watched a grave being closed today, their graves were closed multiple generations ago.