With the horrors we’ve seen in Lebanon this week, it’s hard to know what we sitting in our lounge rooms can do. Pray, yes. Thank God we live in a peaceful society, yes. And now that the hundreds of Australians originally trapped there have been ferried out, we can indeed thank God for their safety.

But what else can we do?

Perhaps we can learn to think clearly. In an article on the Israel-Lebanon war this week, Jim Rice—editor of Sojourner’s magazine, a Christian peacemaking publication—was able to bring some clarity to this complex situation.

To supporters of Israel this week’s bombings of Lebanon might be seen as a justified response to the terrorist actions of Hezbollah and Hamas—of a nation surrounded by its enemies. Then again, others see the region's most powerful military force illegally occupying Palestinian land and engaging in massive, disproportionate attacks on innocent civilians.

“The violence of Hezbollah and Hamas should be unequivocally condemned and opposed,” Rice says. “It cannot be ignored or underestimated that the two terrorist organizations have as their goal the eradication of Israel.”

Rice goes on to say, however, that media coverage of this new Middle East war can tend to paint a misleading picture of the two sides being equal in power. Rice says, “While their intentions are indeed malevolent, [Hezbollah and Hamas] have nowhere near the military capability of Israel, which wields one of the most powerful military forces in the world (with the aid… of more than $3 billion per year from the United States). The death toll in Lebanon in the first six days of the war has been tenfold that in Israel - according to The New York Times, 310 people, most of them civilians, have died in Lebanon while Israel has suffered 27 casualties, 15 of them civilians, since Israel began its attacks.”

“As Christians committed to the cause of peace,” Rice says, “our role is not to "take sides" in the struggle, in the traditional sense, but rather to stand for the "side" of a just and secure peace. We can ignore neither the horror of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians (including direct attacks on school children) nor the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories (with all its "collateral damage" to Palestinian children).”

Jim Rice then suggests some things you and I can do:

Firstly, Be consistent in denouncing the violence of both sides - especially when it is deliberately aimed at civilians.

Secondly, Pray for the emergence of new political leadership on both sides - both of which seem lacking in creative, courageous, moral, or even pragmatic leadership.

Thirdly, Challenge any religious voices that seem utterly one-sided, completely neglecting the suffering and legitimate grievances of both sides.

Fourthly, Pray for new ways for Christians and churches to join Jewish and Muslim peace lovers in finding real and practical solutions for Middle East in which both states can live with security and democracy.

And, finally, Rice asks that we pray for better solutions than endless war to solve the real threats of terrorism in our world. To fail is to put all of our children at risk.

Yes, we pray. We pray for a ceasefire. We pray for lasting peace. And we pray that innocent lives will stop being lost. As one person put it this week, peace in the Middle East will only come when love for child overwhelms hate for neighbour. Now that’s something to pray for.