The pictures from Ukraine tell an old story: war is never clean, civilians are never spared, and people die. War is an ancient story of a nation deciding to take by force something that is not theirs. It violates the old commandment, “Thou shalt not covet.”   

Mr. Putin, of course, served up a package of lies to justify his actions. The most dangerous leader is the one who begins to believe the lies he tells. Maybe he thought his army would roll into a quick victory, that his words would be strong enough weapons to win a battle.   

I admire the courage of the Ukrainian people. Having once been dominated by the old Soviet Union, they do not want to go back to living under Russian control. I saw a picture of a young Ukrainian woman with an automatic weapon in her hands and a determination on her face standing guard. She was obviously not a professional soldier, but she was ready to defend her country. 

War is evil written in large print. This war is the sin of neighbor rising up against neighbor. Children are dying, hospitals are being bombed, innocent people lose everything because a bomb, a shell, or a missile crashes into their homes.   

I live in a city with a large Air Force and Army installation. I know men and women who have deployed into combat, who have taken life because it was necessary. I have also sat with these men and women when they return home and suffer from flashbacks, stress, and depression. This is also part of the evil of war. 

I will never forget a pilot from the Vietnam era who came up to me one Sunday after worship and asked with all sincerity, “Can God forgive me? I did some terrible things when I flew over Vietnam.”  I assured him that God forgives and set up a time to talk later. We talked over many weeks, and his guilt level receded, but I don’t think it ever went away. The price for fighting evil is high. 

I am not a pacifist. There are times when nations must rise up and fight evil, lest it spread and contaminate more and more people. But never do I think war is God’s first desire to solve the problem of evil. 

You might protest, “But didn’t God order people in the Old Testament to go to war?”   The answer is “yes.”  But in every war God ordered, his people were attacking evil: evil kings, evil countries, and evil cultures. God has been fighting against evil since Adam and Eve first tasted the fruit in the garden. 

Jesus dying on the cross is God’s ultimate battle against evil. In that one act, the power of the perfect Savior unleashed a force of good that conquers evil. One day, that good will conquer evil once and for all. That’s why Isaiah 2:4 paints this great picture: “They will beat their swords into plowshares,   and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation,   nor will they train for war anymore.” 

Meanwhile, we live in a world where evil is not yet contained. Evil must be fought, lest its greed takes over the world. Whatever else he is, Mr. Putin is a greedy, covetous man. 

Like you, this war is costing me something. Even though our country is not fighting directly, whenever I fill up with gas, the war is impacting me. But then I remember that I am just paying more for gas; my wife, my children, and my grandson are still alive, still thriving. That thought makes me humble.   

Remember to thank God that war has not destroyed your home. Your family is not torn apart by this war. But it is not enough to thank God for your blessings; also, pray for peace. Pray for the people of Ukraine. Ask God for mercy, for his intercession to stop this war. Pray that evil that has been set loose will be caged once more.   

Jesus also said to pray for our enemies. Pray for Mr. Putin. Pray God will change his heart. Pray for a mindset change. 

What good will prayer do? Will Willimon, a Methodist pastor, told a story about a small prayer group of older ladies in his church in Greenville, SC. He dropped in on their weekly prayer circle one day and was surprised at the breadth of their prayers. They did not just pray for the sick; they prayed over world events. At that time, they prayed for the Soviet Union to collapse.   

Several years later, when the Soviet Union did collapse, commentators hailed the policies of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush as major factors. Willimon said, “I could not help but remember those ladies faithfully praying against the darkness, praying for evil to fall. Maybe their prayers had a bigger impact than I ever thought possible.” 

Pray.