I spent four years trying to understand the history and politics of the near and middle east when studying for my first degree, and I have had a fascination with the area ever since, not least because of the work I do. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, they were all birthed there and we have to take account of this if we want to appreciate the horror and turmoil engulfing the area at the moment,

Religious bigotry and hatred; renewed Russian confidence; inept Western foreign policies; all these factors - and more - seem to have played a part in generating the humanitarian disaster affecting Syria and the surrounding area. But as much as we try to explain the current crisis, it might be more helpful to reflect on the conclusions of Anthony Cordesman, of Washington’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies. We are faced, he suggests, with “three dimensional chess with nine players and no rules.” Max Hastings puts it just as graphically when he writes: “Today’s Middle East bears witness to a roll call of tribal and factional wars, clumsy foreign interventions and cruelty that make Europe’s 20th century wars seem almost reasoned.”

Who would want to be Prime Minister given the complexity and the dangers facing us in the Middle East? And, we might add, who would want to be an American voter given the two candidates in the forthcoming presidential election? Neither Clinton nor Trump make me feel confident about the future, although I have to admit one of the scares me more than the other!

Thankfully, I believe in a God who rules the course of history; a God who listens to the prayers of His people, even if He frequently responds in ways that puzzle and even surprise us. But we can, and should do more than pray. I’ve kept reminding myself of this truth over the past few weeks as I’ve reflected on the carnage that is taking place in Aleppo. It beggars belief that hospitals and medics can become targets, but its no new phenomenon. We witnessed the same thing when war broke out in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. In fact, I drove one of four ambulances across Europe, a gift from the people of West Glamorgan.

I have learned one very important lesson over the past 25 years and it’s this: whatever the size and whatever the complexity of the problem, we can always do something to help someone else. For even if we can’t change the world, we can change the world for one person, and that might have incalculable consequences.

Take Buda Vukas. He exemplifies this perfectly. When I first met Buda in the mid-90s he was struggling academically because of his very poor eye sight. But thankfully, because of the generosity of the Royal Institute for the Blind and others, we were able to give young Buda the equipment he needed to pursue his studies and to everyone’s delight he is now a university lecturer.

I played no part in the peace that finally came to the former Yugoslavia, but I can and do thank God that he allowed me to be a link in the chain that transformed another man’s life for good. And that gives me hope as I face the current crisis because I am reminded that Jesus once said that even a cup of water will not be forgotten when given in His name.

Rob James is a Baptist Pastor broadcaster and writer who currently operates as a church and media consultant for the Evangelical Alliance Wales. He is available for preaching and teaching throughout Wales and can be contacted at [email protected]