A Prayer for Ukraine

A friend of mine posted today that she was tired of watching history take place. I know what she's saying, she is tired of watching the big things in history take place. At 42, I have lived through a pandemic, and now I am watching what I have described as the beginning of World War III. If you don't know what I am talking about, Russia has started an all out war against Ukraine. 

And tonight I am sitting here, much like my friend said, "tired of watching history happen." Mainly I am heartbroken for the people of the Ukraine. I am nervous because of the threats that are being made against anyone who tries to help the Ukraine. Russia had over 6000 nuclear weapons and the President of Russia isn't afraid to use them. 

Matthew 24:6 (ESV) And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

I take heart that the end is not yet, but I don't take heart that the war has come. Innocent children, men and women are being hurt tonight, they are having to flee their homes and yet here we sleep comfortably in our beds. My heart is broken for the people of Ukraine. I have had people ask me "why does this matter?" My response has been selfish, because "if Putin can attack Ukraine, an independent nation, what is stopping him from attacking other European countries? Or even the US?"

However, tonight I am taking time to pray for Ukraine and for peace. 

Today when I watched BBC, I saw a woman standing in the street bold as ever, prayer book in hand and the reporter walked up and said "what are you doing?" The woman looked at him, and said "I am a woman of God, and I know God can bring peace to our countries."  This meant so much to me, because how often do we who live in relative safety actually pray with that kind of intention? 

So I am writing a prayer tonight for Ukraine, for Russia and for our World. 

God, Humbly I come, a poor repentant sinner. I am not worthy to ask for you to hear my prayer, but I know that you will, because you are good, good father. God, tonight my heart is broken. I watch the news and I see the hate that is manifesting itself in our country, and I see the hate that is manifesting itself in Europe. Tonight God, right at this moment as bombs are falling in Kyiv, I pray that You bring peace to the hearts and minds of the citizens of Ukraine.

I am coming boldly before your throne and I ask that you are with the people of the Ukraine. Those who know you personally, be with those that don't that they may know you. Father, God, send your angels to protect those that need protecting, send your angels to minister those who need ministering to; send a messenger to Putin; soften his heart to You, God.

Turn the hearts of the soldiers from Russia, make them bold to do the right thing and stand against their current leader. 

God, Satan has come to kill, steal and destroy, but we, WE YOUR CHILDREN stand against Satan, we stand in the gap and we pray for PEACE over the UKRAINE. 

I pray for the Christian brothers and sisters in Ukraine and in Russia; I pray for President Zelensky that you will give him Godly wisdom to know how to handle this situation. 

God, I pray you send a messenger to Valdimir Putin. That you soften his heart to hear a message of Peace from the Prince of Peace Himself. 

God, bring reconciliation to the Ukraine and to Russia. Bring the War to a just yet swift end; and as we join our brothers and sisters in prayer, God break our hearts from what breaks yours. 

Praying with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine as they pray: 

Our Father who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be Thy Name. 
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, 

on Earth as it is in Heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread, 

forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those 

who trespass against us. 

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. 

For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever

Amen

In Ukrainian: 

Отче наш, що єси на небесах,

Нехай святиться ім'я Твоє.

Прийде Царство Твоє, нехай буде воля Твоя,

на землі, як і на небі.

Хліба нашого насущного дай нам сьогодні,

прости нам провини наші, як і ми прощаємо ті

які грішать проти нас.

Не введи нас у спокусу, але визволи нас від зла.

Бо Твоє є Царство, і Сила, і Слава навіки

Амінь

In Russian: 

Отче наш, сущий на небесах,

Да святится имя Твое.

Да приидет Царствие Твое, да будет воля Твоя,

на земле, как на небе.

Дай нам на сей день хлеб наш насущный,

прости нам согрешения наши, как и мы прощаем тем

кто посягает на нас.

Не введи нас в искушение, но избавь нас от лукавого.

Ибо Твое есть Царство и Сила и Слава во веки

Аминь

Her Father's Eyes

When I was growing up there was a song by Amy Grant called Father's Eyes. It was a song about having God's eyes and seeing things the way He would. In the 2nd verse it states 

And when you're called to stand and tell, just what you saw in me. More than anything I know, I want your words to be: She had her Father's Eyes. Her Father's Eyes. Eyes that found the good in things, when good was not around. Eyes that found the source help, when help would not be found. Eyes full of compassion, seeing every pain. Knowing what you're going through and feeling it the same. 

This song became my prayer as a child. Every chance I had, I would play this song on my tape deck; even now as an adult I play this song on an MP3 player. About 7 years ago someone did me wrong. So wrong in fact that they bore false witness against me, took me to court, did everything they could to hurt me. It made my friends furious. I couldn't get mad. I tried. I wanted to hate that person. I couldn't. I'd go out and my friends would mention the situation and they'd get angry and I would just sit there. One day, we saw this person out in public and I said "Hey, I know you!" they ignored me. My friends were livid. I just walked on. Later that night as we were eating dinner my friend said "You have an uncanny understanding of grace and mercy." That doesn't mean that I am not hurt by what happened, or I am not angry, because believe me I was hurt and I was angry, but I chose to see what God saw in the situation. 

Recently, I was banned from a Christian chat room because I said "People need to stop being idiots." The room owner came in on the tail end of the conversation and swore I said that one of his admins was an idiot. I was banned. Earlier tonight a friend of mine asked if I wanted to come to the room, and I said "sure" we tried for two hours to get me in the room, I even apologized to the room owner, though I knew I wasn't guilty of what he thought was the truth; the room owner said "are you going to behave?" Again using accusatory language instead of being gracious. 

I know not everyone is gracious; not everyone is gifted with mercy and grace, but honestly as Christians we should be gifted with grace and mercy. We were extended mercy and grace under no certain terms and we too should offer that grace and mercy to others. 

This is another thing that runs people away from God. People run because they think that God is accusatory. Satan is the accuser. Satan is known as the "Accuser of the brethern" (Rev. 12:10). He accuses of of our sins before God. Satan does NOT want God to extend grace and forgiveness to us, nor does He want us to receive God's grace. Satan wants us to suffer, and in order for him to get his way, he will use those who call themselves Christians. 

When I think of Satan as the accuser, I think of a courtroom. In that courtroom is every person you have ever known, or touched their lives. The jury is made up of Satan's minions; God is the judge, Satan is the prosecuting lawyer. He starts telling the entire jury every time you stumbled, every mistake you made. He tells the jury every thought you had that was evil and vile. He tells them every word you said that was vile and disgusting. You sit there before God; there is nothing you can do, nothing you can say. Your hands are bound by chains, and you know that because there is nothing that you can do that is right you are going straight to hell and suddenly Jesus stands up, He looks at God and says "All of this is true. They had bad thoughts, they used bad language, they made their mistakes, but right here, in this book, is where I saved this person. This is where I forgave their sin, this is where they repented. Their name is right here!" Suddenly the chains that bound you are gone, you are free.

Grace and mercy completely undeserved are given. While Christians can't be perfect, we can imitate Christ, we can have our Father's eyes and show grace and mercy.

Mental Health and the Church

This is a post about depression and how the Church should handle depression and depressed people. There may be triggers in this article. As always, If you’re depressed, tell someone. Tell a doctor, friend, family member or counselor. I am begging you please do not suffer alone, especially if you feel suicidal.

World Mental Health Day was on October 10th.  This week, in various discussions with Christians, I have heard "you don't need counseling, a doctor, a therapist, medication, etc." These same Christians follow up with you only need Jesus. 

I am not going to lie, that is one thing that really irritates me because it shows just how much work we need to do to become more acceptant of mental illness being treated. How many Christians do you know that will go to the doctor when they catch the flu? Have a broken bone?The common cold? Pregnancy? Most everyone will go to the doctor for ailments they can see or that they physically experience. So why not mental health? 

Mental Health shouldn't be a taboo topic. According to an article by Geneva College, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), "approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S." Biola Univerisity states that this means that nearly 46.6 million Americans over the age of 18 struggle with some form of diagnosable mental illness ranging in severity from mild to severe. On average, there are 48,344 suicide deaths, most of whom have a diagnosable mental illness. To break that down further, 100,000 population, there are 14.8 suicide deaths. 

Many of these individuals will have turned to their church and their faith for spiritual guidance in times of emotional distress. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to mental illness in many Christian churches. The prevailing culture of silence along with misguided attitudes and erroneous expectations often cause suffering believers to feel shamed, blamed and very unsupported. This means that a lot of good, Christ-centered people suffer alone and more often than not in silence. And sadly enough our African American counterparts are more likely to suffer in silence even if they have the funds to seek help. 

In years past, people with mental illness were ostracized, alienated and even abused. Today, most would agree that mental illness is better understood and better treated. However, some of the contempt and cruelty of the past has been replaced with silence and indifference in the present. It is time for the church to step up and make a difference, to move beyond the taboo and reach out to people who suffer from mental illness.

I was reading an article written by a pastor of the Moravian Church and in the article she relates the story of a woman whose husband had knee surgery and the church gathered around, brought food, etc. Yet when this same woman's husband attempted (unsuccessfully) to take his life, the fridge stayed its usual empty self. This goes back to the leadership of the church. This same article in the Moravian church stated that A 2016 study conducted by LifeWay Research and published in ChristianityToday revealed the horror and reality that only seven percent of church pastors discuss mental health with their congregations “once a month” or “several times a month.” Meanwhile, 92 percent of pastors reported talking about mental health in sermons or church functions “once a year, rarely, or never.” (By the way if you are a pastor looking for a great resource on mental health, I recommend the Pastoral Handbook of Mental Illness from Kregel Publishers, see review here.)

Personally, one of the worst things I believe Christians can say to those who are suffering with mental illness is that "You don't really need help." "Jesus can heal you." "You have to believe more." As one who has been diagnosed with two mental illnesses, I can tell you I have heard my share of "You don't have enough faith" comments to last a life time. As CareNet blogger Susan Roberts writes "He is the source of our abundant life. However, mental health struggles are not often the result of sin or failure. Equating someone’s depression with mental instability brought about by God as a punishment is like equating a cancer diagnosis with God striking down King Herod for denying him glory. Mental illness is not a punishment.

So what can the church do? 

The church needs to educate itself on mental illness. Whether through conferences or classes. They need to learn to speak about mental illness compassionately and in informed ways. The Grace Alliance Mental Health Website offers resources for churches and individuals that want to work through learning more about mental health and even start their own grace group to help others through recovery with mental health. NCBI has a wealth of articles for starting Mental Health committees in churches so that they can  educate members and clergy on working with those who are currently stigmatized by mental health. 

I would like to remind you all that mental health in the church is something that I feel very passionate about. You may ready my First Blog about mental health at It is Well...Depression in the church. The following is from my second blog about depression and the church. Depression and the Church Revisited: 

Church leaders should know that depression is a very real issue that they must address.  Some people say that depression is solely a spiritual problem while others believe it to be a physical or mental disorder.  I believe it is both.  As followers of Christ, everything we are, everything we do and everything we experience is wrapped up in and affected by the personal relationship we have or do not have with God through Jesus Christ.  Nothing touches our life that doesn't pass through His hands, with His permission.  Every problem we face, whether it is a physical illness or an unconfessed sin is a "spiritual problem".  If it is a concern to us it is a concern to Him.

Church leaders should know that depression may require medical attention.  Chemical imbalances induced by stress can trigger depression.  It is important to know that a tendency toward depression is many times hereditary, resulting in a disorder that responds well to the right medication.  Depression is not eliminated by medication.  Medicine simply levels the playing field so that the issues and problems that lead to depression can be effectively dealt with.

Church leaders should know that depression may require professional counseling.  I am amazed that so many Christians are so afraid to see a Christian counselor.  Shame and guilt often prevent those who battle depression from getting the help they need.  God gave counselors their gifts and abilities.  He must have known we would need them.  Church leaders should be quick to encourage those struggling with depression to seek out Christian counseling. 

Church leaders should be aware of the shame and stigma felt by those who struggle with depression.  These people are not "crazy" but often feel as if everyone thinks they are.  Many times a pastor or church leader can make it easier for those who battle depression by simply acknowledging depression as a reality that anyone can face.

Church leaders should know that depression is not necessarily sin.  The causes of depression are incalculable. While it is true that depression can be triggered by the consequences of sin it is just as true that depression can simply be the result of a chemical imbalance present from birth. Depression can even be a side affect of medication or induced by health problems as well as physical and mental exhaustion. For example, those who must take medicine to control high blood pressure, thyroid conditions, diabetes and a host of other illnesses are very likely to struggle with depression.  Many of the most creative and powerful leaders battle depression because they constantly teeter on the brink of burnout.

Remember, authenticity and transparency bring healing.  As pastors and leaders we must be willing to practice emotional integrity, freeing those we love and lead to do the same.