“Pray for the Palestinians.” That is a quotation from someone, and someone else that I know I know told me about it.

I am writing this as demonstrations are starting in many parts of the world. October 7, 2023 was the date when fighters from Hamas crossed from Gaza into Israel, and attacked some civilian areas. We all know about this story, and apparently, some Israeli citizens are still being held as hostages, in Gaza.

With tomorrow being the first anniversary of the raid, police forces in many countries are bracing for violent demonstrations:

• READ: Pro-Palestinian rallies staged worldwide ahead of October 7 anniversary

It does seem that a serious war is expanding now, in the Middle East. I believe that we don’t have the ability to prevent or at least to redirect violence in the Middle East. Every solution to the problem seems to fail, and that is a spiritual problem.

I want to give a disclaimer here: I am not interested in joining an argument that has no end, which is likely to expand into violence. I am concerned about our spiritual problem. We can’t solve this problem in the Middle East, and that failure is dangerous. The arguments are now traveling to the whole world.

This is the story that I heard from a friend: A group of women were having a conversation. I checked for the details, and apparently the women were in a Yoga class, and they were about to start meditating. The leader asked if they had any concerns that the group could focus on.

You may know, Yoga was originally a practice of the religion of Hinduism, in South Asia. There is a religious or spiritual side to the practice; it isn’t just an exercise routine. One person in the group spoke to her classmates and said “Pray for Israel!” Another person followed that request with “Pray for the Palestinians!”

This was a Yoga session, and I’m sure they were looking for inner peace, so they probably didn’t break into a violent argument. I suspect that they lost some of their inner peace that day though.

Before we get into an angry argument about Israel and the Palestinians, there is something we should know about our modern culture. That remark, in a Yoga class, about the Palestinians was not a suggestion. It was more like a slogan and the start to a fight. Those words were tossed into the meeting, in retaliation, and no reasonable explanation was given. It was as if someone pulled the pin and threw a hand grenade into the peaceful meeting.

That is a picture of our modern western culture. We like arguments, but we only want the contests that we can win.

If someone asked the challenger for more specific information they might have received back more indignation and anger. Imagine asking questions like “When you pray for the Palestinians, what specific things do you request? How should we pray?” We know, if there was an answer, it would be more angry words, and angry slogans are not supported by calm and rational direction.

Shouting slogans and winning arguments is not a new idea; in the Bible, there is a record of terrible violence and destruction, and one of the solutions was to shout slogans at the problems. One popular expression was “Peace Peace!” One honest prophet spoke for God, about this dangerous way of speaking:

They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. (Jeremiah 6: 14 and 15)

Empty, shallow slogans are more dangerous than just a rude conversation. We are living in a time when people need truth, to support their lives, instead of empty emotional arguments. This is a spiritual issue. In history, those people who shouted “Peace Peace!” lost everything, sometimes even their lives.

The experts might be wrong, but they might also be correct; our world is about to enter a time of uncontained violence. Now, even strife in the Middle East is coming close to a place where you live, like maybe a peaceful Yoga class.

We have a growing spiritual problem, and not just in Yoga classes. This is a problem that needs a solution, and we have been offered a spiritual alternative to the growing troubles in our world:

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14: 26 and 27)

God help us, in these times. And yes, we can pray for the Palestinians.

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