[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during February 2026]
I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound;
Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us
Habakkuk 3 v16 [NIVUK]
This week sees the fourth anniversary of the start of the Russian ‘special military operation’ in eastern Ukraine. It is appropriate to revisit some thoughts originally shared in March 2022.
The aim of the military operation was to reclaim territory originally ceded to Ukraine in 1954 and to effect a regime change in Kiev, replacing the pro-Western stance of the incumbent government. The Russian military command initially estimated that these objectives could be achieved in a period of two to three weeks. The war has now exceeded four years and has cost the Russian forces some 1.2 million casualties. Despite inflicting extensive damage on Ukraine’s infrastructure and the loss of many military and civilian lives, the stated objectives have not been achieved.[1]
Throughout history people have lived with the threat of war, whether declared or implied, and our own times are no exception. Human attempts to bring peace usually have limited success and are often temporary. We are tempted to ask, “Where is the Prince of Peace when you need him?”
In his discourse on times and seasons the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace
Ecclesiastes 3 v8 [NIVUK]
Does this mean that war is part of God’s plan? Surely that does not fit with our preferred image of him but we have to recognise that there have been times when he has allowed strife to illustrate the consequences of mankind’s inherent sinfulness. Nevertheless, that does not imply that the victims of aggression are any worse sinners than others; we all have sinned and have fallen short of God’s requirements.
Where is the Prince of Peace when you need him? Are we not his representatives? Sometimes it is necessary for the strong to make sacrifices in order to help those who are weaker. What sacrifices are we willing to make? There may well be occasions to use force to resist aggression but we claim that prayer is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal; are you ‘weapons-trained’, are you willing to use it?
In Exodus 17 we see Joshua leading the people of God in a fight against an aggressing force. As long as Moses held up his arms in an attitude of prayer, Joshua’s army prevailed; when the prayer lapsed the advantage went to the enemy. Shortly after the outbreak of the war a more contemporary Joshua[2] asked us to pray to God to intervene in the situation developing in eastern Europe. Many others who have become involved in helping Ukraine have made similar appeals. Subsequent events have emphasised the urgency of that call.
A final thought. In first-century Damascus the early Christians were fearing the arrival of Saul, a man who believed that his violent actions were justified. Who would have thought that their deliverance would come through the conversion of that same man? Can God do the same now?
[1]: Russia’s Grinding War, CSIS analysis, 27/Jan/2026
[2]: A Call to Prayer, Joshua Searle, HBC, 20/Feb/2022
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys