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What have we done?  Where do we go now?  Russia has taken over one of the largest nuclear plants in Europe.  People there – work at gun point.  Many have died.  Some are injured.  And children have suffered and died, while the world stood by and watched.

They begged us for help!  The world said No.  And whether the world said no by design or out of fear, it matters not.  A mother held her innocent child and begged for help and the entire world refused.  The mother and child suffered greatly and they died. 

It’s hard to even know who to hold responsible for this level of suffering.  Thank God, truly-that God knows and those responsible will not escape justice.  They will be held accountable by the Lord Himself for all of the suffering that they have caused.  They will not escape.

The U.S. government has done – basically nothing.  Sanctions were never going to stop this war and they are smart enough to know that.  But they allowed this war anyway, and because they did so, millions suffered.

As for the millions of Americans praying for the Ukraine.  It’s hard to know what to do when one’s government refuses to do the right thing.  Keep praying.  Call your Representatives in Congress.  Some start counting calls at 10.  Be extra kind to each other.  Love God and each other well.  Help a refugee.  In other words, do what you can!

And never doubt, as my Pastor used to say, “Prayer Changes Things”.  And it does.

Ukraine is only the beginning.  We need to continue praying for those suffering in the Ukraine, but also for our own country, ourselves and each other as well. 

One of my favorite prayers that I pray every day is, “If I fail to hold onto you Lord, please hold on to me.  In Your Name Jesus I pray”.  For me, it’s kind of like an insurance policy.  I hope that I will always be able to do the Will of God.  I hope that I will never blame God, even for a moment, for what is our world’s doing.  I hope that I will always love our Lord with the same devotion that I do today.  But just in case, lol, I pray this prayer every day ?

Watch, Prepare and Pray.

“The world waits for a miracle, the heart longs for a bit of hope”-Lauren Daigle, Light of the World

But what if that miracle is us?  What if God wants us to be the miracle?

“a child prays for peace on earth, she’s calling out from a sea of hurt”- Lauren Daigle, Light of the World

The Holy Spirit lives in each of us.  Loving God and our neighbor was meant to be more than sitting on the sidelines of life.  And life can be messy.  But if we ask God to direct our path, God will never fail us.  For God is always Faithful ?

Watch, Prepare and Pray…

Be the Hope.  Let your light shine ?

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.  Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”  Isaiah 55:6-7

Ash Wednesday marks a day each year that many focus on repentance.  We confess our sins; we ask for forgiveness in Jesus Name; and we do our best to avoid repeating the same sin.  In other words, we make changes.  That is really what Ash Wednesday and Lent are: a chance to repent.

Whether we want to face it or not, we are running out of time.  Real repentance does not just mean sorrow over our sins, it means change.  And change is hard for all of us.

But if we want our sins to be truly forgiven, real repentance is required.  And that includes being willing to confess our sins to God, to change, and to truly follow Jesus ?

We need to remember that not all Russians support the war on Ukraine.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:1

We need to remember that God loves ALL people. It is not whether they are living in Russia or Ukraine that truly makes the difference in their hearts, it’s whether they are following Christ.

Below is an incredibly sad tweet from one Russian soldier:

““Ukrainian Amb. to the UN reads texts between Russian soldier and his mom before he was killed: “I’m afraid. We are bombing all of the cities…even targeting civilians. We were told that they would welcome us. And they are falling under our armored vehicles.”

The Dispatch wrote even more, ““Mama, I’m in Ukraine. There is a real war raging here. I’m afraid. We are bombing all of the cities, even targeting civilians. We were told that they would welcome us, and they are falling under our armored vehicles, throwing themselves under the wheels and not allowing us to pass. They call us fascists. Mama, this is so hard.” 

God loves us all and we need too as well. Just as we do not agree with some of the choices our government has made, many Russians living in Russia do not agree with their government.

It’s not where we live, it’s how we live. Do we follow Christ? Do we love God and love our neighbor? Do we Pray daily?

Watch, Prepare and Pray, for our time is coming…

God is with us!

Throughout the world’s existence, evil leaders have made evil choices.  Herod chose to murder many innocent male children under age two in Massacre of the Innocents.  Then there was Hitler.  And Stalin.  And Himmler. 

And now we have those who commit murder and those who stand by and watch murder committed.  In all cases, thousands of innocent children have been brutally slaughtered.

Many ask, “Where is God during these dark times”.  Times in which suffering so abounds.

God is right here, with us.   And because He loves us so; He suffers with us.

But we are the ones making the choices to do evil-not God.

We can either choose to follow God or we can choose to do evil.  We can choose to love God and our neighbor-or we can choose not to!

And we can choose to allow the suffering in the Ukraine or we can choose to stop it.

It’s our choice, given to us by God Himself.

But be clear, it’s a choice we make, not God.

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Mathew 10:28

As we sit here, it’s easy to feel fearful.  To tell ourselves that we are doing the “right thing” by not defending Ukraine.  We are telling ourselves that we are putting the safety of our young people and our country first.  We told ourselves the same thing prior to WWII.

And yet because we waited, millions more suffered!

The question for many is which will bring more suffering?  Would defending the people of Ukraine bring us into WWIII, or prevent it?

But the real question, is which action would serve God and our Souls better?

Is standing on the sidelines, basically doing nothing, the right thing?  Is allowing innocent children to be brutally murdered the right thing?  As we watch the blood cover the faces of these brave elderly grandparents, and do nothing to stop it, are we doing the right thing?

Courage comes from God and the strength to do the right thing also comes from God.  The children in the Ukraine are just as loved by God as the children in America.  Perhaps we need to ask God for the courage to do right by both!

(St. Michael’s in Ukraine, Adopted Patron Saint of Kyiv, Ukraine)

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” – Daniel 12:1-2

Need more be said?

Watch, Prepare and Pray!