War and Peace

Wars have long been a part of earth’s history. Some of them justified and some not. We have learned, often many years after the fact, that events bringing us to war with other nations have often been contrived for political and/or economic purposes. Given this, we should be slow to judge one nation’s aggression against another. But the everyday unprovoked atrocities we are witnessing in Ukraine by the Russians are unlike any actions taken in war during my lifetime. Military experts tell us that this method of war is the common strategy employed in Russian military tactics. The concept is to launch a dual attack on the military assets being confronted while simultaneously attacking civilian targets like the hospital pictured above. The intent is to weaken the Ukrainian military capability by dividing its limited assets between a military and a humanitarian response. That is, if the Ukrainian soldiers are busy tending to wounded civilians and removing them from harm’s way then they can’t be confronting the advancing Russian tanks and soldiers. Clever but totally against any acceptable convention of war and as such constitutes war crimes. Not a fair fight. So how does one stand in faith when we pray for Ukraine, and we still see Russia slowly advancing towards its goal of occupying and taking control? The key is to understand the heavenly dynamic of prayer. Prayer has two strategic objectives.

The first strategic objective of prayer is found in 2 Corinthians 10:4,5 as follows “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; “(KJV translation) Prayer attacks those “strongholds” and “imaginations” that have gripped the assaulting power. In other words, it attacks the philosophy that resides in the souls of those who are executing and directing the assault. Doubt creeps into those involved, soon to be followed by weariness in the task. It attacks the message and the messenger of the authority behind the assault. The problem is that the effect of prayer on this attack is invisible to those who pray faithfully against it. What we see is the result of the battle flashed across our news channels like the picture above. That is not the target of our prayer and the measure of effectiveness of our prayer cannot be seen on our tv, at least not yet. The next verse (:6) in the above quoted passage is “And having the readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” In other words, keep praying and be ready when we see the results. It may be tomorrow, or it may be a while. Just keep praying.

The second strategic objective of prayer is found in Philippians 4:6,7 as follows “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV translation). The second objective is to bring peace to the soul of the one praying. Why do Ukranian soldiers and leaders look so peaceful when testifying of their resolve to defend their country in spite of the overwhelming circumstances? I believe that is the result of prayer. Soldiers pray, their families pray, their friends pray, and we pray. And the peace of God that goes beyond all understanding occupies the hearts and minds of the Ukranian people and ours as well. Pretty sweet deal. This is the visible result of our faith. The part that is invisible we leave in God’s hands.