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

Does God Care? Punish? Forgive?

Below are three questions about God and His role in war that I’ve encountered in many sessions with my combat vets. 

Does God care about my suffering? 

No one is immune to suffering—not even Jesus! In order for God to have a relationship with us, He had to first relate to us, so He sent His holy Son Jesus (John 3:16–21). Because He was both fully God and fully man, Jesus understands what it’s like to be human and He empathizes deeply with the experiences of humanity. 

Even in His perfection, Jesus allowed Himself to be tempted in every way, just to remind us that He, too, has been here—but most importantly, He has overcome! He was then put to death in the most horrific way. If Jesus, the Son of God, was not immune to the hurt and pain of this world, what makes us think we are? 

Jesus gladly chose to sacrifice His life so we may have eternal salvation and walk again in God’s loving grace, as Adam and Eve enjoyed before the fall.

Is God Punishing Me? 

God is the one and only perfect Dad. His love is perfect. He does not teach us or punish us by bringing any form of evil into our lives, but He allows hardship so we will pull into Him. That is where His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Grace is the unearned, undeserved, and unmerited favor that God grants us despite our fallible nature. God wants us to run to Him when we find ourselves in trouble—whether we or someone else caused that trouble. 

Would you want to run to a punishing God who desires to teach you by using hurt and suffering as lessons? No way! Our God is a God of love and trust. Would you place your own child’s hand on a hot stove to teach her not to touch it? Of course not! Similarly, your Father handles you with great love and care. Remember, if it’s not love, it’s not God.

Does God forgive me? 

No one is free from sin. God wants nothing more than for us to seek His forgiveness when we recognize our wrongdoings. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). When we demonstrate awareness and accountability for our actions going forward, we demonstrate our love for God. We will falter more than once, and that too is forgiven. “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:7).

Next Steps

With this reading plan concluded, what comes next?

• Continue being disciplined in your spiritual life including pushing into prayer, reading God’s Word, and being a part of a church community.

• Talk to others, either a family member, a friend who was in the military, or a therapist. Being vulnerable in your struggles is a sign of strength, not weakness.

• Find resources, like Peace after Combat, that help you restore peace to your soul.

For more on the full version of this book, please visit here.