I Know You’ll Get There
I am trying to express my heart and thoughts of the last month in a long overdue blog post in a few words, so please bear with me as I share my heart.
On February 24th, the world's spotlight turned towards an eastern European nation probably many had never paid much attention to before. For the past eight years, however, this nation has experienced war in a real sense with the invasion and annexation of Crimea and the attempted take-over by separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine. But in the third week of February 2022, this all changed. As Putin invaded east Ukraine and a shocked world looked on, lives would be forever changed, including our own.
My husband’s family is originally from Ukraine. They escaped back during the Stalin era and his purges of that part of the former USSR. Our family has been influenced by the stories and the miraculous God-led journey of many Ukrainians and Russians out of Russia into China and subsequently to other parts of the world where they eventually settled.
My husband and I are involved in missionary work in that part of the world due to his past and God’s calling on our lives. We have traveled to Ukraine many times and lived in Russia for a season. We have many dear friends we consider family in that part of the world. This war affects us deeply. The mission we are involved with is continually working 24/7 helping within the nation, on the borders, and here in the US, coordinating funds and aid. Our minds, emotions, and hearts are consumed daily with what the news says. Still, we are in a unique position to hear the many God stories of what miraculous things are taking place. Our weekly meetings are a lifeline for us. Our director shares stories one usually does not hear on the daily news. Unexploded missiles were landing in unpopulated places; geese were flying into fighter jets and thwarting the dropping of bombs, Russian parachutists being blown off-course by the wind, and food, medicine, and provisions coming from all over the world to help the millions of refugees fleeing and displaced in the nation. If you connect in any way to a Christian mission, either through texts, emails, or Facebook, the stories are there. As much as I want to share these stories, and this is the blog to do so, I feel led to go in a slightly different direction.
From day one, we have felt this war is so much more than what we hear on the surface. This is not just about one evil man trying to take back the land he believes belongs to him. This is not just about oil and gas. This is not just about the west vs. east and the Nato alliance. There is an element to all of those and much more. And although it is also about a nation fighting extinction and another country suffering for the evil their leader has imposed upon them, it is a battle in the heavenlies—a battle of good vs. evil. And I am not talking about Russians/bad and Ukrainians/good. There is evil and corruption in every government and society.
I think…and I try not to let my personal views enter into this blog, and only the heart of the Father, but this needs attention. Satan had a heyday with Covid—isolations, misunderstandings-even to the point of families and close friendship ties, being broken, death, and violent demonstrations against restrictions. Believers had intense disagreements on the issues of vaccines and masks. We lost sight of the bigger picture - we wrestle not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12).
Our world and lives are being rocked to the core by Satan’s latest attack - a war designed to reshape our world. Let’s remember as believers whom we are fighting. Yes, we live in a physical world. There are elements we pay attention to, but let’s not forget that our most significant position is on our knees.
The Father would draw attention to the need for prayer:
• Families are being separated by the thousands. Ukrainian fathers separated from wives and children - possibly forever or for a time. Need we be reminded that Satan loves to destroy families? Could we be facing a future “father-less nation’? Dr. James Dobson wrote a fantastic letter that deserves a read https://www.drjamesdobson.org/newsletters/april-2022-newsletter?
• Senseless deaths by the thousands - we must keep rescuing those who can be saved (I Timothy 2:5-6), people fleeing, and soldiers on both sides of the conflict.
• Governments are in disarray on how to handle this crisis, and no one seems to know what is really the right thing to do. Our governments need earnest prayer, no matter what side of the political spectrum you are on or what nationality you are.
We thank God for the thousands of people sending money, resources and going to the borders to help the thousands fleeing the war. We thank God for His provision and miracles. We thank God for the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Yes, we thank God for Zelinkskyy inspiring his nation and standing with them. We admire him and his stance. But we also want to remember WHO actually deserves the glory when we hear of the victories and miracles.
In closing, I want to encourage us during this unimaginable time - Do not forget -
Psalm 145:17. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and faithful in all He does. No matter how bleak it seems. God’s truth is still TRUE and God continues to insert Himself into the affairs of men. He is still answering prayers and there is a lot He is doing that we do not see (yet).
And lest we forget, FORGIVENESS will play a crucial part in the days, months, and years to come. FORGIVENESS will play a role in the shaping of nations. Satan attempts to lay a foundation for generational hatred — Ukrainians hating Russians. Children ask, ‘why do the Russians want to kill us?’ We must pray against this spirit Satan is trying so hard to insert. Ukrainians and Russians have always felt they were Slavic brothers and sisters. Satan is trying to change that.
Following are two examples of heartfelt words from friends in Ukraine -
“Forgiveness is a process, and it will be a long process for us, Ukrainians. I know as a Christian I should forgive because I am forgiven and I pray that eventually, I will, but I will need a lot of God’s help in this process.”
We know only by the grace and love of God will this be possible. We must give space and loving patience to our sisters and brothers in Ukraine. We can not possibly imagine what they are going through.
And this one struck me deeply. I am paraphrasing as I cannot find her exact words -
“I know I need to forgive, and it is a principle Jesus taught over and over again. I know it is the right thing to do. Please pray for us. But please also be patient with us - I know I will get there eventually, but right now, there is war, death, bombings, destruction, and grief all around us.”
My friends, when I read those words, praying, crying, and dealing with the grief in my heart, I immediately had a vision of Jesus standing in front of this dear sweet young woman and holding out his arms. Taking her in His arms, He whispers, “I know you will get there. And until you do, I am here to hold all your tears and grief. I understand.”
Dear friends, pray for our brothers and sisters in and outside of Ukraine —their unimaginable hurting and weary hearts need our prayers. There are many who stayed behind in-country to help refugees and they are exhausted, but hopeful. And in the bigger picture of things, please remember the Russian people too in your prayers. They are also suffering under the tyranny of the choices of men. My husband is in Central Asia right now, and he is seeing hundreds of Russians coming through there as they also attempt to flee their homeland. Restrictions are being put into place that are dangerously reminiscent of Stalin’s time in power.
We can PRAY, we can GO (if possible to help), and we can GIVE. If you feel led to give financially, even if in a small way, there are many organizations to give through. Here is ours https://www.ywamslavicministries.org/donate/ Specify for Ukraine relief.
Also, here is the link for a (mostly) daily update: https://www.ywamslavicministries.org/ukraine-prayer-letters
And you can connect with updates through https://www.facebook.com/YWAMSlavicMinistries
Dear friends, we are all in this together.
“There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.”