Unimaginable
“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.” Psalm 61:1-3
Five years ago, almost to the date, a friend of mine and I drove along a ridge covered with a mixture of snow and mud. I spied my first sightings of Ukraine as I looked across the River Prut to the north from my vantage point in Romania. The river is an offshoot of the famous Danube River of classical lore and forms an aquatic border between Romania and its neighbors, Ukraine and Moldova. The scene was fraught with idyllic memories of childhood fairy tales. Indeed, it was a memorable and picturesque sight to behold.
The recent news has evoked anxious and foreboding thoughts at the possibility of the Russian invasion into Ukraine. Each report, though, rebuffed. An old friend posted on social media this morning. The invasion happened overnight and caught their family amid the turmoil! The images were horrific and disheartening! Such a military campaign had reportedly not occurred since World War II.
I do not intend this post to be a political take on an already volatile situation. Nevertheless, the current military campaign is not warranted and should be condemned. In addition, the Word of God is quite clear in Daniel 2:41-44 that there will not be another unifying world power until Jesus Christ returns and sets up His kingdom. All other attempts are futile.
Meanwhile, this post is to extend a call to action from Christian and global citizen standpoints. When faced with such dire circumstances, our first inclination should be to pray. Pray for Ukraine! As with many disasters, both natural and fabricated, the news clips are not the end-all to the humanitarian fallout that is to result. Lives lost, families disrupted. For many, if not most, life will never be the same. Many children will face a lifetime of psychosocial disturbance as they face the traumatic aftermath of carnage and devastation in their home country. It is a call to action; yes, to pray, but also to prepare to help.
This is only the beginning.