Proverbs 25:2
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
To search out a matter is the glory of kings.
As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
So the hearts of kings are unsearchable.”
As I sit and listen to the President’s speech today and listen to the news tonight and see the pictures of the war unfolding in Ukraine, I am baffled at the thinking of kings and presidents. Russian and NATO countries have different narratives, explaining how we got ourselves into this mess and what needs to be done. Truth is concealed and we all are searching to understand the thinking of world leaders as we get our heads around what is happening and how best to deal with it. When I read “the hearts of kings are unsearchable,” I say “AMEN!”
For us lay people, ordinary people, parents or spouses of people in the military we cry. It is possible to allow anxiety to eat away at our thinking. So what is our role at this point? I note on FaceBook that there are pictures of Christians kneeling in the snow and praying in Kiev. Prayer is a powerful tool and we can use it. In Kenya during political instability and elections, our house workers fasted from lunch. We joined with neighbors and we all knelt by our chairs and prayed. We can refrain from gossip and stereotyping. In our Bible study Monday, one woman had family roots in Ukraine. Another had strong memories of choir exchanges with choirs from Ukraine in her church when she was younger. We know people who have relatives now in the crisis that is overtaking Europe in ways far more serious than here in the United States.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Hate and greed are driven by evil so returning evil for evil, only strengthens the power of evil. Our prayer as we walk through these days is that we can keep our eyes on God and trust that He ultimately holds the hearts of kings in his hands, he is there with our loved ones being called into battle, and he will help us live through the inevitable ramifications that will touch our lives. Lord, have mercy.
On the Way to Wonder 