An open Letter to American Churches
Ukrainian Believers Praying
My name is Ekaterina. I am a Christian and serve as an interpreter at a Christian college in Ukraine. This is a letter of thanks for you and your prayers, by which we are still alive.
In 1880, in Thailand, the queen, who was at that time 20 years old, along with her little daughter, servants and courtiers, sailed on a ship to the summer palace, but their ship capsized. She did not know how to swim, so she began to call the servants for help. Despite the fact that many loyal subjects saw the crash, none of them rushed to save her because they were forbidden to touch women of royal blood. The princess's guards forbade anyone from helping her. As a result, Queen Sunandha and her daughter drowned in front of everyone.
On February 23, I felt that this history was repeating itself in the life of my country. Ukraine is sinking while the whole world stands and watches it, not trying to save it, only because we are not in NATO. That day, I woke up around 5 AM to the sound of explosions. Thinking that someone was merely trying to scare us, I began to get ready for college. The first call from relatives, however, dispelled my naivety: a voice on the phone said that Russia was bombing airports and aiming at strategic objects - Ukraine is on fire. Nobody could believe it. Life turned upside down in an instant. We fell asleep on February 22 in the world, and woke up on the 23rd in a new reality that no one wanted.
I will not talk about what happened after - you yourself know everything and I believe that you are following events with no less pain than we are here. The purpose of my letter is to ask you to pray and not to allow our pain to just become a part of your news feed over the next days as you return to reading culinary recipes and travel vlogs…
I sincerely believe that a sovereign God has not lost control of the world, has not become cruel to us, and has not turned into our enemy. I know that His plan is perfect and He does everything in such a way that His glory is above all. On the first day of the war, I despaired that no one believed us, no one would help us. But these feelings led me to a new realization - the weaker we are, the greater will be God's glory. Just as Gideon was once left with only 300 soldiers, so we felt the first days of this nightmare as if we stood armed with only our jugs.
What has happened since, however, has given us goosebumps. My friend's husband, an unbelieving warrior near the border, wrote that they did not understand how they managed to stop the enemy. He wrote that the soldiers were exhausted, but from somewhere they have an incredible strength, unnatural for them, unfamiliar - and they once again beat off the offensive. The unbeliever writes: "Only the God of the Bible does this!"
We are amazed how that same God’s hand has stirred the entire world to pray! They believed us and our cries for help ... I praise God!
Yesterday I read God’s plan for the Israelites - “And when you go to war in your land against the enemy advancing on you, sound the alarm with trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies” (Numbers 10:9). I realized that it is biblical to “trumpet” in our situation. Even more - this is the command of God Himself!
1. Pray for Ukraine.
- Pray for our country: we have become hostages, caught in a conflict between two giants (NATO/Russia) who are flexing their muscles. But this is no longer just a game - there are many dying, unbelieving souls going to hell ... What is happening here is a great grief, but there could be much worse ahead.
- Pray for Christians: many cease to be light! People hardly sleep, they are unable to control their emotions. I have read statements by pastors and Christian leaders, and I want to cry from their hatred, aggression and lost orientation. Where are our beliefs? When did Christ depart from our hearts?! Pray for those who are angry and for those who are in a panic.
- Pray for the salvation of unbelievers. That they will repent! During these five days, 7 souls repented in our church! Nothing will give peace and salvation either during the war or after it, except Christ. In Him alone is both peace and salvation.
2. Pray for Russia.
- Pray for the soldiers. The young soldiers were told that they were travelling to Crimea and the border for military exercises. Many of them have no idea that they are already in Ukraine when they are dropped off. When they realize that they have been thrown into a real war, they surrender because they do not want to kill! But many do not have the courage to surrender, and they listen to orders, blindly believing that they are saving Ukraine from nationalists. Eventually they realize that the country does not view them as deliverers from a yoke, but sees them as occupiers.
Yesterday, two Russian men came to the mayor's office to ask for gasoline for their car, and were surprised when they were told what was going on. There are many videos being posted of Russian soldiers, stalled on the road, who are waiting for help from the Ukrainians, asking what is going on in the world and where exactly the road they are driving leads to. It turns out that they were simply given coordinates, and they blindly followed them...
These are someone's children. Thousands of dead children...
- Pray for civilians. Innocent people suffer sanctions because of their president. Propaganda has filled their minds so much that even when they hear and see the truth, they still do not want to believe in it. A great fire is flaring up inside Russia’s country. Pray that they realize the truth and no longer send their children to death.
3. Pray for Belarus.
Today the news media is speaking about the serious possibility that the Belarusian army will invade. This is a new blow for us. Stand in the gap for us, please!
Each of your prayers is like a nugget of gold, like a drop of rain, like another minute of life. We greatly appreciate it! We turn to the same God who humbled Nebuchadnezzar, who struck down 185,000 troops with one Angel, and who delivered the faithful from the fiery furnace!
"My enemies turn back when I call on You, from this I know that God is for me. In God I will praise His word, in the Lord I will praise His word. I trust in God, I am not afraid; what will a man do to me?" (Ps.56:10-12)
May God bless you all!