God So Loves Ukraine: 5 ways God loves people in the most difficult of circumstances
In a Gordan Lightfoot lyric he asks, in response to the tragic sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald with all its crew, “Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn minutes to hours?”
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when war displaces 2.2 million refugees?[i]
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when 474 civilians are killed and 861 are injured?[ii]
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the officer orders an airstrike? When our hospitals are hit? When families are torn apart because of a war they don’t understand?
The answer is “yes”! We do know! We have answers to these questions. They might be asked rhetorically to suggest that God’s love has failed. But the answer is that God’s love has not gone anywhere.
When God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that love included Ukraine. It included Russia. It included 2022. He doesn’t love what is happening between those two countries right now, but he loves them. He loves the young man who drops the bomb. He loves the family that is lost in its destruction. Where has God’s love gone? It is right there in the war.
As we reflect on God’s love and the tragedies in Ukraine, let’s be reminded of five ways God loves in hard times.
An important clarification… These points are not to suggest that the difficulties of war are small. Or that a few Bible verses take away all the pain. Or that faith is easy. I do not wish to make light of the tragedy. I wish to make much of God. These five ways God loves in hard times don’t take away the hard time. They are real ways that God’s love is poured out in the hard time.
God loves as an overcomer!
The God of love has seen every tragic scene of the war in Ukraine and hasn’t stopped it. How is this love? God hasn’t promised to preserve life in this world, he has promised to overcome the world. God is not the overcomer in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia but the overcomer in the conflict between good and evil. God is loving the Ukrainians and the Russians, and anyone else who will receive it by overcoming this broken world.
I watched a video from the Director of Hope Media in Ukraine. He shared how we know that there will be wars and rumors of war but that “it is always scary when you wake up to explosions and realize that these are not just rumors but real war. Nevertheless, we have hope. We have God’s promises.”[iii]
I produce a weekly podcast. A while back I posted an episode entitled “What takes the scariness out of the scariest things”.[iv] I reflected on the life-threatening crisis that God predicted for the church in Smyrna in Revelation 2. Here are some of those thoughts.
“Have you ever noticed that the Bible can say the scariest of things, and then tell us to not be afraid about it? Well, there are good reasons why we don’t need to fear the scariest of things. We don’t have to fear death when the one who is telling us to not be afraid has conquered the grave. We don’t have to fear death when we have the promise that the second death will not hurt us. We don’t have to fear death when we have the promise that on the other side we receive the crown of life.”
Revelation 2:8-11 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slanderof those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’”
John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
God loves as a companion!
I saw a picture of Ukrainian children in a bomb shelter.[v] They were stacked on shelves to allow more space. They didn’t know what was happening above ground where their normal life used to be. Where is the love of God? God is with them in that bomb shelter. He is beside them on that shelf. Another, unfailing way that God loves people in the most difficult of circumstances is by being a companion. God is present!
Matthew 28:20 “…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
God’s companionship is one in which he is emotionally present. He has compassion. He feels with us.
John 11:33-37 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
Hebrews 4:14-16 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We can’t say, “I know how you feel”. But God can. He is our companion in our emotions.
God loves as a defender!
I received an email that had originally been written by a Ukrainian Adventist woman. It had been mass distributed, passed through many inboxes, and eventually landed in mine. The message was a tearful plea for prayer for the imminent threats they were experiencing. It ended with the following praise from Pastor Igor from Lviv, Ukraine. “Please tell your people, because of their prayers, God really fights our battles. The rockets disappear in the air without reaching our homes and no one knows where did they go. Enemy tanks run out of fuel. Russian troops get lost and ask our locals for food and for directions – that is definitely God because we are dealing with the second strongest army in the world.”
When we learn of a tragedy, we wonder why God doesn’t stop it. What we don’t see is all the evil he does stop. If we could see the spiritual forces at work, we would know that, even in this broken world, God is graciously sparing us from so much evil. Though he has warned us that this world is not our home we can trust him as our defender.
Isaiah 43:1-2 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
Psalm 35:1-2 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help!
Psalm 27:1-3 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?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, yetI will be confident.
He’s still doing it! He works miracles to defend his people!
God loves as a comforter!
Paul describes God as the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). One of the titles for the Holy Spirit is the “Comforter” (John 14:16, 26: 15:26; 16:7). There are millions of people hurting right now because of war. God is pouring out supernatural comfort. He doesn’t only care about getting the job done, he cares about our comfort along the way.
One of the ways he is comforting the hurting is by using people to extend his comfort. The relief efforts of ADRA are a great example. ADRA has temporarily paused their work on all ongoing projects to focus global effort to provide relief to Ukrainian refugees.[vi]
Here are some ways you can be involved in extending God’s love to Ukrainian refugees.
- Learn more at adra.org/home/newsroom and at ARDA’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ADRAInternational[vii]
- Give at ADRA.org (or more specifically at https://donations.adra.org/humanitarianresponse-ce
- Pray, anywhere, anytime. (More prayer opportunities here[viii]) ADRA has set up an online prayer board at https://padlet.com/ADRAengage/Ukraine
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.
Psalm 119:76 Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.
God Loves as a Redeemer
We know that God has offered redemption from sin and given eternal life. He also works to redeem our situations here on this earth. God doesn’t wait until the resurrection to redeem the things that the devil had meant for evil.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Genesis 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many peopleshould be kept alive, as they are today.
Here are a few of the main ways that God brings good out of bad.
We Grow! James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
We Love the World Less! 1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
We Can Help Others! 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
In these ways, and in countless others, God is actively pouring out love on the people of Ukraine, right now.
[i]https://www.msn.com/en-xl/video/other/un-number-of-ukrainian-refugees-reaches-2-2-million/vi-AAUTdYu
[ii] https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-03-08/civilian-death-toll-in-ukraine-now-474-but-more-casualties-reported-u-n#:~:text=GENEVA%20%28Reuters%29%20-%20The%20United%20Nations%20human%20rights,injured%2C%20since%20Russia%27s%20invasion%20began%20on%20Feb.%2024
[iii] https://www.fulcrum7.com/news/2022/2/26/update–from–seventh–day–adventist–church–leader–inukraine
[iv] https://palmersdachurch.podbean.com/e/what-takes-the-scariness-out-of-the-scariest-things/
[v] https://www.trendsmap.com/twitter/tweet/1497321634243489792
[vi] I copied the following from an ADRA site that is an exclusive resource for churches and schools. I cannot share the URL but I can share the following update from March 7:
The escalating conflict in Ukraine has quickly become a very serious humanitarian crisis.
It is reported that close 2 million people have already fled Ukraine in search of safety. That astounding number continues to grow by the day, and we are likely to see around 4 million refugees in neighboring countries over the coming weeks.
How ADRA is Responding
ADRA’s entire network has mobilized our global resources in support of our local teams on the ground in Ukraine, its neighboring countries, and across Europe to serve those who have been displaced by the conflict.
Ukraine
ADRA staff report that conditions within Ukraine are even more dire than the rest of the world is seeing in the media. Their ongoing projects have been suspended as they now focus on emergency humanitarian assistance, even as they experience the same fear, uncertainty, and even regular bombing as those they serve.
In addition to those who are leaving the country as crisis refugees, early reports also project as many as 6 million people could become internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Ukraine.
ADRA’s Response in Ukraine
- Providing cash assistance to IDPs and low-income households
- Arranging safe transport to transit for vulnerable people
- Providing vital supplies to shelters and churches providing shelter
The team in Ukraine is providing crucial assistance during this crisis while they are also displaced themselves. Please continue to keep the team in your prayers.
Poland
The exodus of people from Ukraine has meant long queues at all border crossings. Poland has already welcomed more than 500,000 refugees, the most of any other country, but there are many, many more people waiting up to 60 hours before they can cross to safety in Poland.
ADRA’s Response in Poland
- Welcome packages distributed at reception points at the border and on the railway, including hygiene items and other essentials
- Coordinating with local churches to provide accommodation and support refugees
- Developing a psychosocial support system for those facing mental health issues from their experiences
Romania
At least 110,000 refugees have entered Romania since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict. More than half will move on to other countries, but many will need longer-term accommodation while in the country.
ADRA’s Response in Romania
- Established long-term welcome stations at five border locations
- Providing food, hygiene, clothing, and other essential items
- Coordinating both short and long-term accommodation options through Adventist health and youth facilities, as well as Romanian church community who have committed to hosting 2,500 refugees in their homes
- Delivering cross-border support with regular humanitarian aid convoys into Ukraine
- Providing psychosocial support to those facing mental health effects from their experience
Slovakia
ADRA has seen more than 70,000 refugees make their way into Slovakia. Some will stay with people they know in-country and many more will continue through to other countries.
ADRA’s Response in Slovakia
- Welcoming refugees on the border with essential items and coordinating with local church leaders to provide accommodation
- Providing mobile medical care with medical bus
- Developing transit centers to offer rest, nourishment, and psychosocial support
Hungary
Close to 140,000 refugees have already arrived in Hungary where ADRA is working closely with the local Seventh-day Adventist community to prepare space for them.
ADRA’s Response in Hungary
- Acting as contact point on the border to welcome and serve refugees as they arrive
- Collecting material items in their warehouse for delivery to IDPs in Ukraine
- Providing accommodation through 4 local church facilities and 110 host families
[vii] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1HO9kiV06M and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWBNuiR5ZLU
[viii] Join the church’s daily 9 am EST prayer call online on Facebook, where you can submit prayer requests. You can also join the 24-hour prayer room hosted by 24/7 United Prayer that is ongoing around the clock.