The daily onslaught of Russian forces, as they continue to gain ground in Putin’s incursion of Ukraine has been a thoroughly depressing sight on our TV screens for several weeks now. The suffering being experienced by the Ukrainian people is incalculable.

Indeed, the razing of entire towns, and the devastation caused to the lives of millions of ordinary families has captured the hearts of the world. The response to this 21st century tragedy has quite simply been mind-blowing in terms of humanitarian aid offered, services volunteered, the veritable flood of offers from families all over Europe to receive displaced families into their homes, and the money raised to help those most in need.

Plagued by setbacks

One cannot have failed to notice that Russia’s ‘military operation’ hasn’t at all gone to plan. From the very outset, it was hampered by setback after setback. It seemed as if almost anything that could have gone wrong did. There have been logistical problems galore, with tanks en route to Kiev either getting lost or being stuck in mud, and the Russian air force failing to achieve air superiority over Ukrainian air defences.

Meanwhile, poorly trained Russian soldiers, most of them unwilling conscripts, have been disoriented, cold and hungry, and don’t understand why they’re invading Ukraine in the first place. (There are reports of Russian soldiers given food rations seven years out of date). Even the weather turned against the invaders, with temperatures plunging to -20 degrees; while, for three days last week a storm raged on the Black Sea, so ferocious that Russia’s naval ships were not able to dock at port.

the extraordinary unity and effectiveness of the Ukrainian resistance ... has proved an inspiration to the watching world.

And of course, Putin failed to calculate for the extraordinary unity and effectiveness of the Ukrainian resistance, which has inflicted enormous damage on the Russian advance and has proved an inspiration to the watching world.

Prayer-cries abounding

One cannot help but believe that the cumulative effect of all these unlikely setbacks has been at least in part due to the massive surge of prayer that has arisen from the body of Christ worldwide in response to the situation in Eastern Europe. In now way forgetting a multitude of individual supplications, has there ever in recent decades been such a coming together of believers in groups small and large, to issue cries of heartfelt intercession for those suffering the ravages of Russia’s incursion?

God’s hand has been observable in other ways too. There have been numerous reports of divine intervention and protection, and specific answers to prayer. There have been encouraging testimonies of bombs that fail to explode, of enemy forces coming under great confusion, of angel formations in the sky, and of God’s tangible presence. 

Or what about what the media are calling ‘The miracle of Mariupol’, where it has emerged that many hundreds of Ukrainians—including children—may still be alive beneath the rubble of a bombed theatre in that city.

Just what was needed

A worker for YWAM testified: “My husband (Ruslan) got a phone call from a maternity ward in a small town just outside of Kyiv that had been destroyed from the bombing. The maternity ward was in desperate need of all supplies and gave him a list. He took the list, walked out the door of our building, and all of a sudden a truck pulled up outside. Out jumped a group of Norwegians who had come over from a YWAM base in Romania. The van was full of humanitarian aid, including every item that was on the list from the maternity ward. Ruslan was able direct the supplies to exactly where they were needed”.

The worker also spoke of the ongoing work at YWAM Kyiv; “… they are feeding 150 people a day right now at their base. They are talking about how eight kilos of macaroni is feeding 150 people – food is being multiplied”.

Divine protection

Another well-known international Christian para-church organisation, Ellel Ministries, has served in Ukraine for many years. Nina Rotkina, Director of Ellel Ukraine, shared the following encouraging report:¹

“The Pastor of a small church in Volnovakha did not feel like fleeing from the city for the first days of the war. But then he heard the Lord saying: “Leave the city immediately”. He took the whole church in two buses, and they left the city. Only a few hours later the Russians completely destroyed the city, including their houses. There is no such place any more – just bare ground.

One of our associates in Kharkiv told how her 10-storey apartment block was bombed and all windows were broken – except for the windows in her apartment. There is a very strong presence of the Lord in this area.

We have heard of soldiers in the front-line testifying to supernatural miracles and wonders happening. They say they feel someone invisible nearby and experience supernatural protection when bullets and shells were just flying past. They also tell of unexplained guidance and wisdom in the battles, some feel unusual strength. Someone said that they could see the enemies, even in pitch darkness, and they knew what to do and how to do it, but they were not visible to the Russians.

They say they feel someone invisible nearby and experience supernatural protection when bullets and shells were just flying past.

Where we are in Kremenchug (Central Ukraine) is currently safe. No missiles, tanks or Russian troops so far. Today there were 360 people at our prayer meeting. And six new converts have been baptised in the water today!

All the churches in our two cities have refitted their buildings as refuge places. In the churches, the refugees are receiving not only physical care, but they hear about God, and they are prayed for. The churches are constantly praying. There is a very strong anointing at prayer meetings”.

Ongoing intercession

We must not be triumphalist when reading such inspiring testimonies. The sufferings that Ukrainian civilians are having to endure are very real - constituting a calamity of enormous proportions. Thousands have already been killed. Many people are without food and water, trapped in the basements of buildings, some unable even to be rescued because of constant shelling and bombing. News outlets are awash with heart-breaking stories of daily turmoil, death and devastation.

As the fighting continues, and Putin gets more desperate by the hour, let us not lose faith either in the sovereignty of God or in his goodness. May the worldwide Church continue to intercede for the people of Ukraine, knowing that our God is a God of justice (Ps 89:14), mercy (2 Pet 3:9) and compassion (Ps 145:8).

Endnotes
1 How God is Working in Ukraine, Ellel Ministries 7th March 2022

Top image - Sunguk Kim/Unsplash