Voice of Ukraine

From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 465):

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
Psalm 15:1

We are often anxious about the future. None of us know what tomorrow may bring. We in Ukraine, have had plenty of opportunities to verify this statement.

I was working in the garden today and listening to some worship music. A phrase stood out to me – “The victory is won. He is risen from the dead.” Even though the Lord’s final battle is still ahead of us, and we don’t know when it might take place, we already know its outcome – it is already won, and the death has already been defeated. The prophets from the Bible would often speak about future events as if they had already taken place. They could do it because God, who exists out of time, showed them and assured them of the certainty of what was to come. It has already been decided, so there is no doubt about the outcome.

These thoughts encouraged me today. We in Ukraine are hoping and waiting for our land to be liberated, for our people to return to peaceful lives, for justice to be restored. We don’t know when or how this will happen. However, we can be sure about the outcome of the ultimate battle, for it has already been won. Death has been defeated once and for all, and we are only waiting for the fulfillment to be completed.

God is incredibly gracious to us. Not only did He give His Son as the ransom for our sins, but He also offered us peace in knowing that despite the tears and suffering we may be experiencing now, the victory is won.