Like millions across the world I have been in awe at the bravery of the Ukrainians. Images have been shared of pensioners confronting Russian troops; a civilian picking up a mine with his bare hands and moving it to a safer location, cigarette dangling from his mouth; unarmed men blocking tanks by standing in front of them; grandparents signing up to fight for their grandkids.
And then there’s the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a Russian-speaking Jew, whose impassioned pleas have gone viral, moving Western governments to put in place previously unimaginable sanctions – and his now iconic response to Joe Biden: I need ammunition, not a lift.
God weeps
What is God doing amidst all of this? For one, grieving the loss of life, the utter destruction. Just as he does for all those suffering across our world, whether in Afghanistan, the Uighur region of China, North Korea or Yemen. We see from our Bibles that God’s heart is not limited to certain places. Isaiah 16:11 speaks passionately of Moab, “My heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being for Kir Hareseth.” In the same passage he calls his people to protect the refugees – “Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees. Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer” (Is 16:3-4). He calls them to lament too, “Lament and grieve for the men of Kir Hareseth” (Is 16:7).
It is good to see that across the Western world people are doing just that – grieving over the lost, and reaching out to help the refugees. I read of one woman driving hundreds of miles to the border to offer her home to strangers in need. Many are donating money, food and clothes.
A movement of prayer
God is clearly in this worldwide wave of compassion. But where else is he working? There has been a massive worldwide surge in Christians heeding the call to pray for protection for the Ukrainians, with online and in-person prayer meetings springing up everywhere. As the invasion began, my husband felt led to pray that God would help the people of Ukraine as he helped David against Goliath. I have joined in with this prayer, as have many others.
There has been a massive worldwide surge in Christians heeding the call to pray for protection for the Ukrainians, with online and in-person prayer meetings springing up everywhere.
In my prayer group, a number of similar Bible passages have been highlighted to guide our intercession, not least Gideon’s small ill-equipped army and God’s strategy that defeated the enemy (Judges 7). In Elisha’s time, Elisha could see that God had surrounded the town of Dothan with angelic armies (2 Kings 6:15-17). We have been praying for similar things – for supernatural protection, for God’s strategy, for the triumph of good over evil.
Heavenly help
There have certainly been aspects of this being reported in Ukraine. Word coming through from pastors on the ground are of encouragement even amidst the terror. One message shared from a Ukrainian pastor, via friends with contacts on the ground, translated, is:
“We feel your prayer support. Sometimes supernatural things happen, as if some invisible hand is taking bullets and ammunition from us, just flying around us. We come out of very complicated situations as if we were accompanied. We become invisible to our enemies, we see in deep darkness, and we know what and how to do. It encourages and gives us strength. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ himself is behind Ukraine, please keep supporting praying. We really need you.”
Pastor Igor in Lviv, said, “please tell your people, because of their prayers, God really fights our battles. The rockets disappear in the air without reaching our homes and no one knows where did they go. Enemy tanks run out of fuel, Russian troops get lost and ask our locals for food and directions – that is definitely God because we are dealing with the second strongest army in the world… Thank you for your prayers”. This particular message I can’t confirm, but it matches with reports elsewhere.
These messages were all sent a few days ago. Situations in a war zone move very fast. But we know that Putin was frustrated by the slow progress of his own forces, which is why he has turned to more brutal tactics. Analysts have openly queried how Russia could have failed on certain key objectives in those early days. Certain things can be explained objectively. Reports of intercepted Russian communications – including soldiers to mothers back home – speak of demoralised troops. Many had either not been told they were invading, or had been told that the Ukrainians would welcome them as liberating heroes; they have been appalled at what they have been asked to do.
Some have sabotaged their own tanks’ fuel supplies, others have mutinied or refused to obey orders. Hearing these reports makes me weep also for these young Russian men who have been lied to, many of whom are fearful to disobey, considering the regime they live under. One said he wished to kill himself.
What next?
What next? If God has been helping the brave Ukrainians resist, where will this lead? Will they really be able to overturn and repel the invader?
The Ukrainians’ astounding bravery, their refusal to just submit to the invasion – and the unspoken, yet clear, interventions of God – have opened the eyes of the world, and have led to otherwise unthinkable economic and cultural sanctions being enacted against Russia.
Few analysts see this as likely, believing rather that it will lead to a protracted war. Putin, who is quite possibly unhinged, maybe sick, or even demon-possessed, is already resorting to more extreme actions. Even in his right mind, he was involved in the devastating shelling of Grozny in Chechnya. He has already countenanced the shelling of civilian areas in Ukraine with cluster bombs – a war crime – with even maternity hospitals targeted. And he truly believes that Ukraine should be under Russian control, either directly, or through a government that bends to Russia’s will.
One thing that struck me in reading John Scriven’s recent study, ‘Beyond the Odds’ was that where seemingly miraculous interventions happened in the First and Second World Wars, they did not indicate the end of the war, rather a survival to fight again another day. These were interventions which meant that in the end, good triumphed over evil, but it was not a short-lived affair. And yet – nothing is impossible for our God.
Tumultuous political changes
The Ukrainians’ astounding bravery, their refusal to just submit to the invasion, and the unspoken, yet clear, interventions of God, have opened the eyes of the world, and have led to otherwise unthinkable economic and cultural sanctions being enacted against Russia. Offers of help and weapons have been pouring in. So far, other nations have drawn the line at being directly pulled in, yet have demonstrated a solidarity that the West has not known for years – with even Republicans applauding Joe Biden in a show of unity, and EU diplomats walking out on Sergei Lavrov’s video speech. This solidarity in itself is changing the world, for better or worse, as will the economic sanctions.
Are Western nations just going to cheer on Ukraine from the side-lines (along with giving weapons), or can we do more – albeit at enormous risk to ourselves? Or is God the only one who can and will actively defend the people there?
Is God enabling the Ukrainians to resist so that they can repel Russia, or so that they could bring other Western nations along with them? Is this yet to escalate further? Putin has already threatened nuclear deployment at least three times. We should take him seriously.
Last week, a friend told me a tale of her daughter at school. A group of bullies was attacking a girl. She could have walked on by. But despite being at this point a shy kid, she stepped in and thumped the bullies, allowing the girl to escape. They never bothered either her or the girl again.
Putin has been a cold-hearted, manipulative bully long enough. Are Western nations just going to cheer on Ukraine from the side-lines (along with giving weapons)? Or can we do more – albeit at enormous risk to ourselves? Or can God alone actively defend the people there? Whatever we do, I pray and will keep on praying for God’s protection over Ukraine – a country with a great many believers in Almighty God.