When the Obvious Can Become the Oblivious: A Call to Compassion for the War-Ravaged

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Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 

(Romans 12:15)

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When the Obvious Can Become the Oblivious: 

A Call to Compassion for the War-Ravaged

This message is a little heavy, I know. But some things should feel heavy. When lives are lost—needlessly, senselessly, without explanation, it calls for more than talking heads on CNN or MSNow. It calls for a compassionate response. It calls for people willing to pause, to feel, and to care.

There are seasons in life when the Holy Spirit will not allow us to sit comfortably in silence. Seasons when the world’s pain echoes so loudly that to ignore it feels like a betrayal of the gospel we claim to practice. Today is one of those seasons.

Once again, I find myself stepping into territory that some ministers avoid, not because they lack courage, but because the weight of global suffering can feel too heavy, too political, too overwhelming to tackle in a sermon. But my conscience refuses to let me rest. It refuses to let me write a message of comfort without also writing a message of compassion. It refuses to let me enjoy peace without speaking peace.

I cannot shake the conviction that to be a follower of Christ is to be a peacemaker, not merely a peace‑enjoyer. We cannot be oblivious to the agony of the needles killing happening now.

Amos 6:1-6

1 What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria!

You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help.  2 But go over to Calneh and see what happened there.  Then go to the great city of Hamath and down to the Philistine city of Gath.

You are no better than they were, and look at how they were destroyed.

3 You push away every thought of coming disaster, but your actions only bring the day of judgment closer.

4 How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds and lounge on your couches, eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock and of choice calves fattened in the stall.

5 You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David.

6 You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions. You care nothing about the ruin of your nation. 

As I write these words, I am sitting in the quiet of my dining room in the upper Midwest. The house is still. My family is safe. The tranquility of everyday life surrounds me, nothing dramatic, nothing threatening, nothing that stirs fear.

Yet, I am struck by how extraordinary that ordinary moment truly is.

• I do not fear the sudden stealthy hum of a drone overhead.
• I do not brace myself for the unthinkable.
• I do not wonder if today will be the day my world collapses.

Two vast oceans, the Pacific and Atlantic, lie between me and the conflicts that torment other corners of the world. That distance creates a sense of security so deep that I rarely question it. It whispers, “All is well,” except for the memory of a day like 9/11 that reminds me how fragile our sense of safety really is.

But here is the truth: my comfort does not erase someone else’s terror or agony. While I sit in safety, roughly 3,000 Iranians have lost their lives, and 15 Americans have been killed, with 538 more wounded.  

The gospel does not permit us to shrink our compassion to the size of our ZIP code. Jesus never said, “Love your neighbor as long as they live next door.” The command is broader, deeper, and more demanding.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

He was not speaking only to diplomats or world leaders. He was speaking to you and me, who are called to carry the heart of God into a world that is literally bleeding.

• To be a peacemaker is to refuse indifference.
• To be a peacemaker is to let our hearts break for people we will never meet.
• To be a peacemaker is to pray for those whose names we cannot pronounce.
• To be a peacemaker is to acknowledge that every life, every single one, is precious to God.

Distance can deceive us.

Distance can lull us into apathy.

Distance can make us believe that suffering far away is somehow less real, not pertinent to Americans.

But the gospel collapses distance.

The gospel reminds us that every child is our child, every mother is our sister, every father is our brother, every stranger is our neighbor. The gospel refuses to let oceans become excuses.

• When one part of the world trembles, the body of Christ should feel it.
• When one nation mourns, the church should mourn with it.
• When one person cries out for peace, we should not be silent.

So today, I declare peace, as a presenter of the Gospel, "The Good News".

• I speak peace over nations torn by war.
• I speak peace over families living under the shadow of violence.
• I speak peace over leaders whose decisions shape the fate of millions.
• I speak peace over those who have forgotten what peace feels like.

And I speak peace over us, because peace begins in the conscience before it ever reaches the world.

You may ask, “What difference can my voice make?”

Remember: the gospel has always moved through small acts of faithfulness.

• We can pray for peace
• We can advocate for peace
• We act with compassion.
• We can challenge hatred wherever we see it.
• We can refuse to let indifference harden our hearts.
• We can speak peace even when the world speaks war.

And sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is simply refuse to look away when the obvious pain of another life God created is suffering.  My comfort does not erase their fear and agony, and their fear and agony should not be invisible to my comfort.

For blessed are the peacemakers, not the peace‑wishers, not the peace‑observers, but the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

May you be counted among them.

Hallelujah! Sing a New Song to GOD. Sing HIS praise in the assembly of godly people. Psalm 149:1.

"Mercy Endureth", 2024, EJ Fields

EJ Fields is a rising gospel singer, songwriter, and producer based in Shreveport, Louisiana. As you will hear in the video, he has range and power in his voice and his lyrics. BTW, the lyrics are embedded in the video.