Peace After Combat - Healing the Spiritual & Psychological Wounds of WarExemplo

Peace After Combat

Is it possible to find peace after returning from combat? One US combat veteran dies by suicide every hour. Over 90% of our combat veterans profess a belief in God and goodness, but many of them lose their faith after experiencing the horrors of war. Even if they can somehow hold onto their faith, many insist that their combat sins will only send them to hell. Such flawed and tragic beliefs make it easier to consider suicide. 

After each traumatic deployment, combat veterans are dramatically less inclined to believe. Faith and family are the strongest protective factors in suicide prevention, but often families fail to survive because of the strain deployments place on marriages. All that’s left is faith, but what happens when faith is seemingly lost?

God cannot and will not fail you. In fact, it is He who can bring an unexplainable peace to your life and those you love.

Let me remind you of the truth that sets you free: 

• God understands you, never left you, loves you, forgives you and will do anything to have a relationship with you. 

• God is not the author of your hurt and suffering. He is not the author of the terrible things you saw in combat. 

• Every day we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Whether the battlefield is in the Sandbox (Middle East) or in our heads, we cannot succumb to the enemy (Satan) who wants us to lose sight of God.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much you are like Christ? Yes, you read that right—Jesus Christ—as in the Son of God! Just as Jesus selflessly sacrificed His life for our eternal salvation, you (and of course, those lost along the way) volunteered to sacrifice your life for God and country. The Bible tells us “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend” (John 15:13 NIV).

Jesus wasn’t immune to experiencing the hurt and pain caused by our world. In fact, He completely understands your suffering, as everything pales in comparison to what He endured during His life and finally His death on the cross.

Jesus never abandoned you and your brothers and sisters whom you lost in combat; He was always there.

I pray that you do not succumb to the lies of the enemy: lies of self-blame, lies of shame, lies about God not loving you, lies about God punishing you, lies about your life never getting any better, and lies about being unworthy.

Spiritual warfare is as real as you and me. Don’t forget that you are called to be a warrior of the flesh and of the spirit. Now it’s time to fight for your life and take back everything the enemy has stolen. You’re not alone. God is on your side and the victory is already yours—you just need to fight for it. Let’s put on that battle rattle (Eph. 6:11–12) and press on.