Whether you’re looking for them or not, gas prices are impossible to miss – a visible, numerical reminder of what’s going on politically and economically, not just in Colorado, but also clear across the world.

“Operation Epic Fury” has spiked oil prices these last few weeks as the conflict between the United States/Israel and Iran threatens access to the Strait of Hormuz.

Upwards of twenty percent of the world’s oil passes through this 24-mile wide and 104-mile-long route that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. That’s twenty million barrels a day – or 840 million gallons of oil. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), a typical 42-gallon barrel of crude oil will produce upwards of 20 gallons of the gas we put into our cars. That means the equivalent of somewhere between 380 million and 400 million gallons of gas go through the Strait every single day.

I was wondering if the gas I get from my favorite Exxon station on Garden of the Gods Road across from In-N-Out Burger goes through the Strait of Hormuz. I discovered it’s unlikely. Approximately 84% of the oil passing through that waterway goes to Asian markets (China, India, Japan, South Korea).

But as the old saying goes, everything affects everything else. For every $1 increase in the cost of a barrel of oil, gas prices go up 2.4 cents per gallon at your local pump. It’s rather curious and confounding how quickly the price can go up, too. President Donald Trump had barely finished announcing the beginning of the bombing back on February 28th when prices on the digital marquee signs started going up around town.

It was the psychiatrist and academic, Dr. Myron F. Weiner, who once wrote, “Don’t waste a crisis — your patient’s or your own.”

I probably spend too much time brewing over the price of a gallon of gas, especially since there’s little I can do about it. This makes me sound old, but I was telling our boys how, back in the late 1980s, I would fish for coins in and under the seats of my dilapidated 1974 Volkswagen. I’d usually find enough to put a gallon or so into the tank.

The reason I like the Exxon I do is because they seem to consistently have the lowest prices around. The cost of a gallon of gas between stations used to only deviate a few cents. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve seen as much as an 80 to 90 cent swing – and sometimes as much as 20 or 30 cents from store to store on the same street.

I don’t think I pay as much attention to any other item as I do to the price of a gallon of gas. Is it because old habits die hard? I know I’m not the only one. I have a friend who will drive clear across town to find the best deal. I also play psychological games with myself. By filling up more often, I feel like I’m spending less. It’s also strangely reassuring to drive around with a full tank of gas in your car.

Of course, concern over the price of gas, while practical and personally burdensome to many, pales in comparison to the safety and welfare of the tens of thousands of U.S. service members serving and sacrificing in the Middle East. Given God’s gift of positioning our nation between two oceans, we enjoy geographic insulation that offers us a significant extra layer of protection.

Yet that same insulation can sometimes lead to psychological or emotional isolation. The distance causes detachment. We go about our regular day and may not think too much about the men and women fighting “over there” so we can remain safe “over here.” That’s a mistake. The price of gas is a reminder of the fragile world beyond our borders.

Presidents don’t receive credit for what they prevent, but preventing a maniacal regime from obtaining a nuclear bomb has been the stated goal of both Republican and Democrat administrations for decades. Operation Epic Fury promises to ensure that objective is met.

The temporary bump in the price of gas can also serve as a reminder to pray for the wisdom and discernment of President Trump and our leaders, and especially the soldiers and sailors and airmen who are working to prevent a nuclear catastrophe that’s been simmering for generations.

Paul J. Batura is a local writer and founder of the 4:8 Media Network. He can be reached via email [email protected] or on X @PaulBatura.