Russia is invading Ukraine; thousands are dying, millions are being displaced, and the specter of nuclear war hovers over the world.
How do we process this?
In the history of the world this is not new. So how did the world face similar threats in the past? It turned to our omnipotent, omniscient, and loving God. Consider this example from the 18th century.
Here is the first verse of O God Our Help in Ages Past, composed by Isaac Watts and published in 1719:
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:
According to Hymnary.org, this hymn “expresses a strong note of assurance, promise, and hope in the LORD as recorded in the first part of Psalm 90.”
Let us go further into the Psalms for a deeper understanding of the assurance, promise, and hope expressed in the hymn. Consider the first four Psalms.
Psalm 1 speaks of the way of the wicked which leads to destruction:
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm 2 addresses the conspiracy of nations and kings:
Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
In Psalm 3 we hear a cry of despair:
Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”
Then, in Psalm 4, we have a resolution to destruction and despair:
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
How can an omnipotent, omniscient, and loving God allow this to happen? This question has been asked for thousands of years and, especially to those who are suffering, there may be no immediate, comforting response. Certainly, someone fleeing from bullets doesn’t want a theological response.
So, how does one process this? There is a choice: to God or away from God?
To answer this, I would start with a different question. How is it that love, compassion, and self-sacrifice exist in this turmoil? Next, I would acknowledge my inability to personally combat this aggression and to look for a power much greater than mine. Finally, I would take a leap of faith, the same leap that has been taken by those in peril for thousands of years and place my peace and safety into the hands of my Lord. Yes, I can and will pray for the people of Ukraine and I will pray for enlightened leadership by the “kings” of this world through the power of prayer.
This world may seem out of control but it is not. Let’s return to the Psalms. “From the Lord comes deliverance (Psalm 3:8). “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath (Psalm 2:4-5). “Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you (Psalm 5:11).
The hymn O God Our Help in Ages Past concludes with verse 6:
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
still be our guard while troubles last,
and our eternal home!
Our God has helped us in the past and will guard us now. Amen.
