A Prayer for Ukraine
Heavenly Father ...
We cry out.
We lament.
We grieve.
War is ripping apart the world, families, countries, and, we know, your heart. This world is not as it should be. Our hearts are not as they should be. We are desperate for your relief and rescue and restoration.
Today we cry out for our church family and their neighbors and fellow Ukrainians. We don't even know their names and yet we sense deep unity, closeness, and affection for them. In particular we know many of our brothers and sisters in Christ do not gather in church buildings today, but huddle together on their knees and open your Word with tears. They remain in cities and a country which are under siege. One brother, Pastor Sergey, at Irpin Baptist Church (17 miles NW of Kiev) has asked us to pray for five things.
And so ...
- We pray for the Ukrainian people as they meet this time, that they'll receive help and the Gospel of Christ
- We pray for pastor Stanislav, he and his wife Alla who are still in Irpin.
- We pray for pastor Vasiliy, he is on the way to Irpin with necessary help to people who are there at the moment
- We pray for him, Sergey and his wife Tetiana, who at the moment we're helping evacuated people from our Irpin Bible Church to accommodate in different cities at the Western part of Ukraine
- We pray for the Ukrainian army, especially for those who defend Kiev from Russian aggressor and for our soldiers in other cities.
Comfort your children and may they know you are a very present help in time of trouble. May they take heart and not fear even though the earth gives way and mountains fall into the heart of the sea.
In Russia's leader we see the very worst of human brokenness. We see greed, violence, hatred, vitriol, the lust for power, and selfishness. Yet we also, by the power of your common grace ... we still see one who bears your image. Therefore on the basis of your power and grace we beg that you would break Vladimir Putin's heart.
Call him to repentance.
Command him to brokenness.
Confront him with your unmatched glory.
In ourselves we see capacity for great evil. In ourselves we see no unique reason to be privileged enough to gather in safety and peace. In you alone we see total authority and complete goodness. And so we enjoy this moment of worship by sheer and utter mercy. We gather with stomachs that are full, with shoes on our feet, with lunch on the schedule, and order in our land only because of your providential appointment of these undeserved details of our day. In response to your kindness and glory we read and sing and proclaim your good news today as bold affront to the feeble kingdoms of this world.
Forgive our presumptions.
Forgive our bitterness.
Forgive our arrogance.
Humble us to the point of action. Give us love for our neighbors across the hall and across the ocean. Help us to answer, what then shall we say about these things? Help us to understand, how then shall we live? Help us to know, if God is for us who can be against us? That your name would be known. That your glory would invade the dark recesses of hearts and lands. That the heavenly kingdom would come in Chicago ... in Russia ... and in Ukraine as it is in heaven.
In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
