Voice of Ukraine

From Ira Kapitonova near Kyiv (Day 545):

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
Psalm 95:2

Sometimes, when I come across verses of gratitude and praise in my daily psalm reading, bitterness overpowers me, and my whole being resists this praise. Can we praise God when people are being killed every day? When the people in the occupied territories go through hell on earth, not being able to get medical help (even if it’s an emergency) unless they agree to get a Russian passport or collaborate with the enemy? How can you praise God when even nature is suffering from this cruelty?

I want to grumble and complain, I want to argue with God, and I want to object to the praises, demanding an answer from Him. And He is strong enough to handle my objections and answer my questions. His answers often come in the form of reminders about His faithfulness in the past. Looking through my posts from a year ago, I am reminded of how far we’ve come and that all of that would have been impossible without God. Conversations with the soldiers or their loved ones are a constant source of reminders to be grateful – almost every soldier has a miracle story of how they survived against all odds. And even when you see a wounded soldier, they are a reminder to be thankful that their life was spared when it’s likely that their brothers-in-arms fell.

Gratitude is not something that comes from the outside but rather from within once we are set on praising God no matter what storm we find ourselves in.