We are living in perilous times. There is division in the USA which is more severe than anything in my life time. Our economy is in trouble for many reasons. And now we are confronted with a war between the aggressor, Russia, and the target, Ukraine. I have known for years that several nations have nuclear bomb capabilities, but never in my life has there been a real threat to actually use nuclear bombs, until now.

For the Christian, we don’t fear death per se, because death for the Christian is simply a door to fuller life in Christ. At the same time, the very idea of a nuclear bomb even being contemplated by any world leader is unnerving. According to the news we can get, the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, has set his sights to reestablish an empire resembling the former USSR. Many Russian people are against his ambition. Most of the rest of the world has condemned this attack on the Ukraine. Sanctions have been levied on Russia by most Western nations. So far, none of this has slowed down the Russian war efforts at all. Putin has shown no signs of backing down until his objectives are fully accomplished. Many experts believe that Putin will attack Moldova once the Ukraine is subdued and a puppet government has been installed there.

Back to the key question, how do Christian respond to this war, or to any war? Some answers are obvious– we pray in faith for the Lord our God to intervene. We pray for an end to this war and for protection for millions of people who are in harms way due to Russia’s bombing and efforts to take down Ukraine. We know that the Lord is able to change Putin’s heart, or to foil his plans, which seems to have already happened on some levels since the war has lasted this long. We can give money to solid ministries that are seeking to help some of the 2.1 million people who are now war refugees in Poland, Romania and other surrounding nations. And third, we can urge those in authority over us to act swiftly to do whatever is possible to put pressure on Putin to stop this war. Stop all Russian imports, especially oil products which are helping to finance this war. Urge other Western nations to do the same thing. Kick Russia off of the UN Council, so they can’t veto UN decisions which will be against their war. Others have spoken more clearly about these types of actions so Christians should be involved in making their voice heard with their representatives.

Finally, Christians do not live in fear of anything besides a fear of God himself. We should have an awe of who God is and how we respond to him, but we should not fear war or anything which could possibly happen as a result of this war, not even nuclear bombs. We trust in our sovereign God who is able to do all things and work in the midst of every circumstance. Our faith rests secure in Jesus Christ.