Gennady and Mina Podgaisky
CBF Field Personnel in Kyiv, Ukraine
This prayer was written in the weeks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, March 2022.
How do we pray during this time of war in Ukraine?
We pray with broken hearts, we pray with tears in our eyes;
We pray with dry mouths and nausea in our stomachs;
We pray with week-long migraines.
Where do we pray?
We pray everywhere!
We pray every waking minute;
We have never prayed this much;
We cannot stop praying;
We cannot forget to pray!
We pray 1,000 popcorn prayers throughout the day.
What do we pray?
We pray for peace, for the end of the war;
We pray for no more deaths;
We pray for no more destruction;
We pray for 40+ million Ukrainians in pain;
We pray: Lord hear our prayers!
We pray with others and for others;
We pray for us and our children;
We even pray for our dog, our car;
And we even pray for the house we left behind!
We pray for food, water, medicines;
For those in bunkers for over six weeks!
We pray for children that no longer respond to sirens.
We pray for families that now are separated;
We pray for dads, husbands, brothers, daughters and sons;
We pray for those who left and those who cannot leave.
We pray for the president of Ukraine;
We pray for his cabinet;
We pray for the volunteer defenders of Ukrainian towns, cities and of the whole Ukraine;
We pray for the volunteers getting people out of harm’s way;
We pray for those bringing humanitarian aid to dangerous places;
We pray for volunteers that serve others;
We pray for volunteers that serve their country;
And we pray for volunteers that are serving God in these circumstances.
We pray for our hearts;
We pray that our hearts will not grow stone hard;
We pray that the seeds of hate will not flourish.
We pray for renewed and reborn towns, cities and a restored country;
We pray that one day this nightmare will be over;
We pray this war will not lead to WW III.
We especially pray between 10 am and 5 pm eastern time;
We pray while it is night in Ukraine;
We pray especially when the shelling and bombing occur.
And yes, we do give thanks each morning.
We give thanks when we learn nobody we know died in the night;
We give thanks when we get a message that says: “I am still alive!”
We give thanks for thousands of people praying for Ukraine;
We give thanks for those giving;
We give thanks for those wanting to go and help;
We give thanks for those going to help.
We give thanks for the Offering for Global Missions;
We give thanks that we have been able to live our God-given call in Ukraine;
We give thanks that Ukraine became our home;
We give thanks for the hope of the Resurrection!
Christ in me, the hope of Glory!
Amen!
PRAY . . . GIVE . . . GO . . .