A few days ago, I watched a video interview of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, head of the Liberal
Democratic Party, Russia’s fourth largest political block. In his typically smug and sneering style
he said that on Sunday, October 26, 2014, Ukraine’s nation-wide parliamentary elections would
fail because pro-Russian armed agents would overpower all the polling sites. Following this
Ukraine’s so-called Banderov-led nazi (anti-Russian) government would promptly collapse to be
replaced by a state which favors the true leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Or something like
that. He was so confident it was like a done deal.
I know this is the kind of drivel that we’ve come to expect from him, and one should not pay it a whole lot of notice. But there is a war going on and Ukraine has lost complete control of several hundred kilometers of its border with Russia. Two days ago, Thursday, three metro stations in Kyiv were closed for bomb threats, which is happening entirely too often lately. The same day three major discount stores were shut down for the same reason. In advance of tomorrows elections, the army, national guard, and militia are on high alert.
So with all of this rattling around in my subconscious, yesterday I went to our weekly Friday morning prayer meeting where we pray for peace in Ukraine among a dozen other urgent needs. And that’s where God spoke to me from a Bible passage we read before prayer.
Turns out there was a similar situation in Israel in King Hezekiah’s day. Sennacherib, King of Assyria, was camping on Jerusalem’s doorstep with 185,000 troops. Israel was completely unprepared militarily to contend with these forces, which had already destroyed all the surrounding nations and taken all the fortified cities of Judah. Only Jerusalem remained. The Assyrian messenger declared haughtily,
“Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’” (2 Kings 19:11-13)
This so reminded me of Zhirinovsky, breathing threats toward Ukraine! Hezekiah took the Assyrian King’s threatening message into Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem and opened it up before the Lord.
“O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.” (2 Kings 19:15-19)
Was there a word in this prayer about Jerusalem’s sorry military condition? This prayer was centered on God’s glory and reputation alone, honoring him as holy and majestic, Creator of heaven and earth. Of course you know “the rest of the story”, but I’ll copy it here in case it’s been a while since you read it:
I know this is the kind of drivel that we’ve come to expect from him, and one should not pay it a whole lot of notice. But there is a war going on and Ukraine has lost complete control of several hundred kilometers of its border with Russia. Two days ago, Thursday, three metro stations in Kyiv were closed for bomb threats, which is happening entirely too often lately. The same day three major discount stores were shut down for the same reason. In advance of tomorrows elections, the army, national guard, and militia are on high alert.
So with all of this rattling around in my subconscious, yesterday I went to our weekly Friday morning prayer meeting where we pray for peace in Ukraine among a dozen other urgent needs. And that’s where God spoke to me from a Bible passage we read before prayer.
Turns out there was a similar situation in Israel in King Hezekiah’s day. Sennacherib, King of Assyria, was camping on Jerusalem’s doorstep with 185,000 troops. Israel was completely unprepared militarily to contend with these forces, which had already destroyed all the surrounding nations and taken all the fortified cities of Judah. Only Jerusalem remained. The Assyrian messenger declared haughtily,
“Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’” (2 Kings 19:11-13)
This so reminded me of Zhirinovsky, breathing threats toward Ukraine! Hezekiah took the Assyrian King’s threatening message into Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem and opened it up before the Lord.
“O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.” (2 Kings 19:15-19)
Was there a word in this prayer about Jerusalem’s sorry military condition? This prayer was centered on God’s glory and reputation alone, honoring him as holy and majestic, Creator of heaven and earth. Of course you know “the rest of the story”, but I’ll copy it here in case it’s been a while since you read it:
“And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the
camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early
in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed
and went away . . .” (2 Kings 19:35,36)
Likewise, let us always remember to honor the Lord by remembering that whether threats are real or empty, He is always in control, and his ear is turned to humble hearts who turn to him when they are afraid.
Have a wonderful and prayerful day in his grace, and remember to ask his blessing on Ukraine’s elections tomorrow, Sunday, October 26th, 2014.
Article by Jeff Franks. Photo by Coleen Franks, western Ukraine this month.
Likewise, let us always remember to honor the Lord by remembering that whether threats are real or empty, He is always in control, and his ear is turned to humble hearts who turn to him when they are afraid.
Have a wonderful and prayerful day in his grace, and remember to ask his blessing on Ukraine’s elections tomorrow, Sunday, October 26th, 2014.
Article by Jeff Franks. Photo by Coleen Franks, western Ukraine this month.
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