President Trump says ceasefire with Iran is over

President Trump said this morning that he believes his ceasefire deal with Iran is over. He told reporters at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, “To me, I think it’s over; I don’t want to deal with them anymore.” He added, “They’re liars, they’re cheats, they’re sick people. Now I’ll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don’t see it.”

Oil prices jumped after the president’s comments, with futures rising more than 5 percent higher at roughly $78 a barrel, which is far above their prewar price.

When I saw the breaking news, I did not want to write about it, for two reasons. One is that I’d like to focus on a topic that is more encouraging and relevant than a back-and-forth conflict that has been going on for months with no apparent end. The other is that I had no idea what I could say that I have not said about Iran and the Middle East over recent years.

Then good news emerged in my mind that led me to today’s article. To explain it, first I’ll need to sketch the background for today’s headline.

A weeklong funeral during a war

Mr. Trump’s remarks came after the US and Iran traded blows ignited by Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz in recent days. The US military said it hit more than eighty targets primarily on Iran’s coast along the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with strikes, launching ballistic missiles and drones at Bahrain and Kuwait, both of which host US military bases.

This is the latest in a war that began on February 28 when the US and Israel struck Iran over concerns about their nuclear and missile programs. Strikes took out the country’s top leadership, hitting military sites across the country. Iran responded by attacking its Arab Gulf neighbors and by shutting the Strait, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes.

In June, the president signed a memorandum of understanding that called for pausing the war for sixty days and reopening the strait while negotiations continued. Iran, however, asserts sole control over the waterway, which was open to international shipping without fees or constraints before the war.

All of this is occurring during a weeklong funeral organized by Iran’s government for their late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February at the onset of the war. His body will be buried tomorrow in his hometown of Mashhad.

Counting the hairs on 8.3 billion heads

I don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon, but apart from affecting the price of oil, the war doesn’t seem relevant to our lives in any practical way. Our soldiers are in harm’s way to a degree, but we don’t have “boots on the ground” in Iran. I have great concern for Israel, but it seems able to defend itself against Iranian aggression.

In short, while I would like there to be an end to this conflict, apart from following the news in a cursory way, I’d rather not think about it.

The good news is that God doesn’t feel the same way.

One of the many ways our Creator transcends his creation is with his present-tense compassion for every single member of the human race, all 8.3 billion of us. The Lord who knows when a sparrow falls from the sky (Matthew 19:29) and has numbered the hairs on every head (v. 30) knows everything there is to know about every person who has ever lived and ever will (cf. Psalm 139:1–5).

You and I may not be passionate about each of the ninety-three million people living in Iran, but he is. We may not think about those threatened by Iranian aggression in Bahrain and Kuwait, but he does.

This is good news for them, of course, but it is also good news for us.

“When you know how much God is in love with you”

Dr. Robert Sloan passed away suddenly on July 4 at the age of seventy-seven. Dr. Sloan was my German professor in doctoral studies, the president of Houston Christian University (my alma mater), the former president of Baylor University, and a longtime friend. I was shocked by the news, as was everyone who heard it. His memorial service will be held this Friday on the HCU campus.

Dr. Sloan was one of the most brilliant scholars I’ve ever known and a person who cared deeply for his students and the schools he led. However, unless you knew him or are otherwise affected by his passing, you’re probably wondering why I’m mentioning him this morning.

The reason is that his story is your story. One day, perhaps today, you will need the compassion of a loving God in ways the rest of us may not know. Dr. Sloan’s widow, Sue, and their seven children and extended family are grieving today along with friends like me in ways you may not be. But you will one day be grieving in ways we are not.

On that day, it will matter enormously that the same God who loves the Iranian people also loves you. If you turn to him in faith, his tears for your grief and compassion for your pain will sustain your heart and comfort your soul. His presence at your side as you journey through the valley of suffering will be your hope when all hope seems lost.

This day may be that day for you. If not, that day will come, perhaps sooner than you imagine. Today is therefore a good day to thank your Father for being your Father and to love hurting people as he loves you (1 John 4:19). It is a good day to intercede for Dr. Sloan’s family and for the millions of people in the Middle East directly affected by this ongoing conflict.

Mother Teresa observed,

“When you know how much God is in love with you, then you can only live your life radiating that love.”

Do you know how much God is in love with you today?

Quote for the day:

“Love cures people: the ones who receive love and the ones who give it, too.” —Karl Menninger

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