For Christian Veterans of Afghanistan

Three things you need to know

By now, we are all aware of the mess in Afghanistan. Everyone has a political take on it. I have my own and I’m sure you do too. But this post is not for a political take. It is for a large group of people who are hurting right now.

Just a few minutes ago, I saw a social media post by a friend of mine who is a veteran of Afghanistan. I could tell how much he was hurting. The immediate question that came to me was, “Is there any comfort for them?” The answer came almost as quickly. There is comfort for all situations in Scripture.

My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word… My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Your word. (Psalm 119:25, 28 NASB)

Why address this particularly to Christian veterans? And why use the Bible to do so? Aren’t there many unbelieving veterans who would be missed by such a specific focus?

The truth is that there is only one person who can give hope that lasts. His name is Jesus. And there is only one place where true hope can be found. That is God’s Word.

So I want to take you to the Scriptures to share three comforts that came to mind while thinking on this.

Your work was not in vain

If you look at what is happening with an earthly perspective, you will question if any of it was worth it. Many people laid down their lives in Afghanistan. Many wives were made widows and children were made fatherless. Those who survived now live with untold trauma from the things they have witnessed and experienced. Surely such a high cost demands a worthy result. Then you watch the news and you see Afghanistan crumble in a day. How do you find any meaning in that? From an earthly perspective, you can’t. We have to look with spiritual eyes.

Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1–5, NASB)

Jesus uses the example of these people who died in tragic and extraordinary circumstances to make His point. At the end of the day, there is only one thing that matters.

No matter the conditions a man has to live or die under in this world, the only thing that matters is whether he has repented and followed Christ. That determines his eternity.

When you look at Afghanistan, the temptation may be for you to think all your efforts to serve and protect them were in vain. It may seem that they are now left with the same tragic fate, despite all your work. But I want to point your attention to something.

There is a message going around on the internet describing how churches there are responding to the Taliban. Did you catch that? There are churches in Afghanistan. The Taliban says they will be coming for them. That means they weren’t able to before.

The reason they weren’t able to is because you were standing in their way.

While you were standing in their way, how many souls were brought to Christ by those churches? While you were protecting them with physical warfare, look how much Kingdom ground they covered with spiritual warfare. God used you to give the church in Afghanistan a window of opportunity to advance the Kingdom of God. Yes, what’s happening is tragic. But God used your presence to pave the way for souls to hear the Gospel and be saved. It was not in vain.

Your prayers were not in vain

In Revelation 8:3–5, we see the prayers of the saints mixed with incense on the altar. This becomes the ingredient of the fire which is thrown to earth, causing thunder, lightning, and an earthquake. The point here is that the prayers of the saints are used of God to shake the earth.

I have heard enough testimony from Christian soldiers to know that the battlefield helps you discover your prayer life real quick. I am sure that you prayed many prayers during your time at war, and many of them were probably prayers of desperation. You may be wondering if those prayers even mattered now. Did God even hear them?

Those prayers were added upon the altar of God. They are added to the prayers of all the saints and will be used to shake the earth. We can’t always see into the secret things of heaven, but the Scripture at least tells us our prayers matter and will have a tangible impact.

Jesus wins

It really seems like the bad guys won this one, doesn’t it? The cross seemed that way for a time too. Imagine following the one you believe to be the Messiah who will crush your oppressors, only to watch Him dying a shameful death. Then you scatter and hide. We know how the story ends, but the disciples didn’t have that knowledge until after a long, dark Saturday.

This world is full of “long, dark Saturdays”, but Sunday is coming.

Consider the Great Commission. We tend to only see it as an evangelistic text, but it is so much more. Jesus says to His disciples,

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18, NASB)

Jesus is not waiting to reign. He is reigning now. America has not been able to eradicate the Taliban, but Jesus will. And when He does, it will be the perfect display of His power and authority over all nations. Christ has already conquered the Taliban. He knows it. The angels know it. The church knows it. When the Taliban finds out, their tragedy will make the Afghanistan tragedy look like a walk in the park.

Right now it looks like evil won, but we know evil is just being set up for a greater fall.