In times of trouble – Impressions from Ukraine

Psalm 9:9-10

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

And those who know your name put their trust in you, or you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Government forces check point

I am just back home from a visit in volatile and tense eastern Ukraine. Since long a Pastors and Leadership Conference within the Word of Life network had been planned. That was well before the present tense political situation had erupted. It started on Friday 9 May, Victory Day, commemorating the victory in over the Nazis in WWII. It turned out to be a very special day. The conference was marked by strong meetings, high praise and powerful intercession. The people became strengthened and encouraged in the faith. However, it was a bit strange, that during the pauses between very blessed services to get reports of bloody fighting in neighbouring towns, as for example Mariupol where the death toll a while purported to be over twenty casualties. These figures were later moderated, somewhat.

In another neighbouring town, Konstyantynivka, an Orthodox priest was gunned down with eight shots as he tried to calm down a crowd of armed men. A pastor told me that his son's car been shot at and three of his friends injured by bullets. From Slavjansk, a brother who worked at a rehab, was taken in by the separatists as he was leaving town. He and a co traveller were bound and gagged and placed in a cellar. One was beaten during interrogation. When it turned out that they were not active in the conflict, they were released.

In Donetsk, right up to where we were, we heard of battles between separatists and the Ukrainian army where automatic weapons and grenades were used. Suddenly it comes so much closer. In the evening as we stepped out of the car, I heard something that I first thought was firecrackers. But it turned out to be gunfire five hundred meters away. The few shots turned into automatic gunfire and then loud voices. This happened in a place that we more or less just had passed two minutes earlier. Amidst all this, we ourselves were calm.

Pastors and Leadership Conference

About two hundred fifty pastors and leaders came for the conference, which must be seen as a really good attendance under these circumstances. Some pastors were not able to come, especially those from the Crimea, which is currently very difficult to get from to Ukraine. That was also true concerning other troubled parts. These areas are more or less lawless, since the police force is not able to uphold law and order. Therefore there is a need to be cautious and not so easy to travel. Several pastors’ families had been evacuated to safe areas in Ukraine or abroad. In the midst of this, we could still have a strong pastor conference.

I was thinking of how this added up. So much spiritual freedom, joy, encouragement of faith in a church service and then all this violence around us. My mind went to Psalm 27:3-5 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.  Though an army encamp  against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. I actually think this is a way you need to learn to live in order to cope with the pressures that this kind of conditions give.

Separatist road block with sand bags outside Donetsk

On following Sunday I preached three services, two in Donetsk and one in Makeevka. I preached on “The Lord's protection” from Psalm 91, which was very well received. It was also referendum day and therefore tense. While going back and forth between the services in Donetsk and Makeevka, we saw how all car showrooms were empty. The car dealers had removed their cars in order to protect them from criminal gangs that took advantage of the lawless state. Around the occupied governors office and the TV station in Donetsk, there had been erected high barricades of tires and debris. A mixture of Militia and civilians manned the roadblocks. The former were armed with automatic weapons, the latter with baseball bats and other weapons. After one of the services we were also told that the Word of Life congregation in a neighbouring town had been stormed and ransacked by heavily armed men.

In this environment, it is a strong hope to know the Lord is a refuge for his people and that his protection is real and strong. Our prayers are for peaceful resolution of this crisis and that unnecessary bloodshed will be avoided. The Church can also be a light in darkness and a strong alternative to nationalism and hatred, and instead point to reconciliation that is available in Jesus Christ. 

With Christ, to the ends of the earth!

Christian