Praying for Ukraine (Our Ukrainian Connection!)

About 12 years ago, when I was moving my grandmother out of her NYC apartment, I discovered some family items that had been brought to America by her mother and grandfather. In them was a train pass from 1895 that had belonged to my great-grandmother’s grandfather, picture and all! (That would be my great-great-great grandfather!). It was like a passport that gave him the ability to travel from his hometown to Vienna, Austria. The hometown was listed as Lemburg, Austria. When I looked up Lemburg, Austria I found that after WWI, that part of Austria had become part of Ukraine and became known as Lviv, Ukraine. (The borders had been changing for many years.) 

The name of that city immediately rang a bell in my head as I remembered, that was the city from which Kim’s mother’s family had come. In other words, both Kim’s mom’s family and my mom’s family had come from the very same city in Europe! And, I couldn’t help but be struck by the fact that, in spite of my family being Jewish and most likely living in their own ghettos, as they were called, it is quite possible that somewhere in our family’s histories my family and Kim’s family passed each other on the street, did some business together, or maybe even had a conversation here and there with each other! Who knows? 

Today, Kim still has distant relatives in Ukraine (still in the area of Lviv), whom her parents visited about 20 years ago and who in recent years have been in touch with family here in the states, sending Christmas cards, etc. Thus it is only natural that, with all that is happening right now in Ukraine, Kim and I can’t help but have our hearts go out to the Ukrainian people. After all, this is a terrible time for them as they can’t help but sense that they just may lose their freedom and come back under Russian Communist rule. In just a short time—really, a matter of days and weeks—their whole way of life has been upended and their future quite unclear. 

Of course, there are so many ways in which we could pray today as we remember Ukraine. We can pray for the defeat of the Russian forces, even by supernatural means. We might pray for the protection of the Ukrainian people. We can pray for a complete return to peace for Ukraine and for our world.  We might even pray against the evil spiritual forces that seem to be at work and for the Kingdom of God to overcome; that the things the Enemy wants to use for evil, God will turn around and use for good.  

Although I will be praying all of those prayers for Ukraine, this morning I sense the need to pray one simple prayer, the prayer of priestly blessing over the people of Ukraine: 

    “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26 – NIV)  

Won’t you join me today in praying that prayer over the people of Ukraine? 

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris