In the face of all the atrocities that are occurring in our world today, it is easy to feel discouraged and weary. It is impossible to watch, listen to or read the news without the constant reminder that our world is broken. In 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, the apostle Paul speaks to the troubles we will face because of the fallen state of our world, and he reminds us of the hope we have in Jesus. He states that we “have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God, and not to us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
The slaughtering of innocent Israeli civilians on October 7 and the continued hostage crisis are heart-wrenching, and it is only by the mercy and grace of God that we can have hope amidst the tragedies we see happening. The Bible assures us that God will not be mocked, and one day He will right all wrongs. My prayer is that we will continue to fix our eyes on Jesus and remember that He will have the final say. I pray that we will cling to God’s promises and rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation and constant in prayer, as we are reminded in Romans 12.
I am grateful for the professors, faculty and staff at Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) University who remember these truths and are not afraid to boldly proclaim the promises of Jesus to our students, our community and the world. The LeMieux Center for Public Policy, one of PBA’s Centers of Excellence, promotes thoughtful conversation about issues that matter. They issued the following statement the first week of the terrorist attack on Israel.
Statement on the Hamas Attacks Against Israel from Palm Beach Atlantic University’s LeMieux Center for Public Policy
On October 7, hundreds of heavily armed men of the Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as Hamas, launched an unprovoked, unjustified and coordinated terrorist attack against civilians and soldiers living near the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Images of defenseless men, women and children—even babies, brutalized, murdered and taken hostage make clear the purpose of these attacks—to create terror. The massacre of innocent Jews at the hands of genocidal killers is a shocking reminder of a long and bitter history of antisemitic attacks, culminating in the Holocaust.
Some have attempted to minimize or even justify the murder of innocents by calling Israel an oppressive state that has unjustly taken Palestinian land. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is complex and difficult, but to argue that slaughtering hundreds of Jewish Israelis and nearly two dozen Americans is an acceptable way to resolve the conflict is grotesque, wicked and wrong.
The LeMieux Center is committed to its mission of reasoned, thoughtful, and civil discourse on matters of public importance. Israel is a democratic and sovereign state that shares those values. The government of Israel has the right and obligation to exist and defend its citizens from terrorists who fundamentally seek to destroy the Jewish state. The LeMieux Center for Public Policy stands with Israel in the face of these evil actions, while fervently desiring justice and peace among all who live in the region.
– The LeMieux Center for Public Policy
