(Written on 25 February 2022)
It’s 11:00PM, and all is quiet, except for the neighbor’s dog that is barking. He barks at everything. He barks at nothing.
One thing at which the dog is not barking is the sound of explosions. There is no gunfire. There are no missiles. There are no tanks. There aren’t any military jets or helicopters flying overhead. The city is quiet, except for the annoying, barking dog.
I walked out of my office and spent a few minutes walking on our back patio (it’s a slab of concrete). The cool, night air was refreshing. I thought about the war that was waged by Vladimir Putin, president of Russia. I prayed for the Ukrainian people as they prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. The people of the Ukraine are asking for help. They are imploring other countries for help.
I have seen news videos of the war that is going on. “God, have mercy on those people.” I am upset over a power-hungry man. I am saddened over the way the people of the Ukraine have been ignored by their allies.
One video showed a young man, twenty-one years of age, guarding a footbridge by himself, alone, waiting for the Russian troops to arrive. He has only fired sixteen rounds of ammunition his whole life. He fears for the life of his family. His family fears for his life. They may never see each other again.
I have seen Facebook posts by people that know missionaries and pastors in the Ukraine, and I even saw a video of a Brazilian man who is a pastor in the Ukraine. My heart breaks for those people, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Their faith is great. They don’t complain. They are trusting God. They are praying fervently.
Do you even wish that there was something that you could do? But wait; there is something that you can do. You can pray. You should pray. As the Brazilian pastor said on the video, “It’s not time for talk; it’s time for prayer.” As you go to bed tonight, say a prayer for the people of the Ukraine. Not a short, hurried prayer, but a compassionate, heartfelt, caring prayer. Pray in the same manner that you would want people to pray for you if you were in that situation.
Lives have already been lost. Sons, grandsons, brothers, fathers, husbands, dads, and uncles have died. Senior citizens have died. Children have died. Women have died. More will die needlessly. You may think that there’s nothing that you can do, but if you pray (with a clean heart), your prayer can move the hand of God.
When you turn off your phone tonight, don’t forget to lift up the Ukrainian people – and the Russian people, too – in your prayers.
One day, they might just thank you.