On this Sunday, as we mark the entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, Ukraine has once again become a target for the enemy’s attacks, since russian missiles and kamikaze drones, like shadows drawn across the light of the Lord’s presence, have struck critical infrastructure in the western regions of our country. The russian forces of darkness appear to know no fatigue in their work of sowing destruction and pain and despair in the lives of our people.
Even in the darkest hours, though, when fear and uncertainty close over our hearts, we see rays of light and hope. Today, in the middle of the chaos of this war, our family and our church are marking moments of joy and of God’s faithfulness. My daughter Tetiana is celebrating her thirtieth birthday, a milestone that reminds us of His steady love and blessing in her life, and in our church, “The Rock”, the veteran Nazar Illiuk was ordained to pastoral ministry and will serve alongside our pastor, Oleh Bloshchuk. Both of these are evidence that under the severest trials the Church of Christ in Ukraine keeps growing and strengthening and carrying the light of the Gospel into this world.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a young donkey He knew that suffering and betrayal and crucifixion lay ahead of Him, and He also knew that this was not the end of the Story, since the resurrection and the final victory over sin and death and hell would follow. His humble entrance into the city pointed forward to His return as King of kings and Lord of lords, who will enter the heavenly Jerusalem and complete His saving mission here on this silent planet.
The Lord’s might and greatness cannot be judged by the modesty of that entry on a young donkey, because behind the humble image stands the boundless power and authority of the One who created the universe with a word and holds it in His hand. Christ needed no processions and no fanfare to testify to His greatness, so let us not allow the plainness of His earthly life to obscure who He actually is and what He means for us. His greatest strength was revealed precisely in that humility, the strength of a sacrificial love able to overcome death.
Even now, when evil and injustice appear to be winning, we can rely on the One who has already won the decisive victory at Golgotha, a victory of love over hatred, of life over death, of light over darkness, and of just peace over aggression. The fullness of that victory has not yet appeared in all its beauty on earth, or in Ukraine, and we know it will come at the time God has appointed. So when we meet pain and suffering and injustice, we can still find hope and comfort, because Christ has already walked this road to the very end and has triumphed, and His victory is the guarantee of ours in Him.
What is happening in Ukraine today also reminds us that our journey with Christ is demanding rather than carefree, and that we have to endure trials of many kinds, the pain of loss, and suffering, and tears. Even in the darkest moments, though, the resurrection always follows the cross, and death does not have the last word in God’s plan. The Christ who gave Himself on the cross for our sins in humility and love is also the risen Christ, the Conqueror, who holds all authority in heaven and on earth, and who promised to be with us always, to the end of the age, in our suffering and in our dying and in our resurrection.
So today, sharing the pain of those whose hearts and lives were wounded by another demonic morning attack by the russians, we come together in prayer for Ukraine, for our defenders at the front, for all our volunteers, for those who have lost the people they loved, and for those forced to leave their homes.
And in the middle of that pain we give thanks to God for His unchanging love, for the gift of family, for the faithfulness of friends, and for the service of our soldiers, since even in the darkest times He gives us signs of His presence and His care.
The words of the apostle Paul carry new weight today: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:35, 37, NKJV). This love of God, shown to us in Christ, is our stronghold and our hope, and it is stronger than all our fears, than all russian hatred, and than the evil of this world.
On this holy day of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem, then, let us lift our hearts to Him in prayer for Ukraine, for our people and for those we love. Let us lift them as they actually are, with all their weakness and fear and doubt and pain, without hiding our wounds from Him or dressing up our failings, since He knows us better than we know ourselves and loves us regardless.
May the Lord heal our wounds, disperse our fears, strengthen our faith and fill our hearts with His light, because only in His hands does our life take on real meaning and wholeness and beauty. And even when that process of transformation is hard, we can trust His unchanging love and faithfulness.
My prayer today at the Throne of Grace: “Lord Jesus Christ, on this day of Your entry into Jerusalem we remember Your road of suffering and Your glorification alike. We pray for Ukraine and for our people, who today are walking their own way of the cross through war and pain. Grant us a just peace, protect us from enemies visible and invisible, comfort the hearts of those who have lost the people they loved, and bring justice upon the criminals of russia who sow death and suffering in Your name. Strengthen our faith and our hope, and fill our hearts with Your love. Teach us to follow You on the road of love toward our neighbour and toward those who suffer. May Your victory on the cross become our victory in You. Amen.”
Taras Dyatlik, Ukraine
24 March 2024
760 days of the full-scale russian war against Ukraine
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