Voice of Ukraine

From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 724):

‭‭Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:8

I remember this day two years ago. The air felt thick with anxiety. We were visiting grandma, and the day was sunny, so we decided to go for a walk to get some air and think about something other than the news. Later that day, our car got stuck on a muddy driveway, so we were joking that we would need to go here, to the village, in case of a big invasion because no Russian tank could pass through the mud on our driveway. Little did we know that in several days, on Thursday, we would leave our Kyiv apartment and not only end up at grandma’s (even though our original emergency plan was different) but also stay here for 18 months.

We went for a walk today as well, but my mind kept going back to that time two years ago… We are different today.

I mentioned Avdiivka yesterday. Did you know that the Ukrainian army has been defending this town for 3,460 days? It is located just over a dozen miles away from Donetsk, and it was among the first cities under attack 10 years ago. There were people still trying to live their ordinary lives there. Can you imagine how many defenders gave their best in this defense? Our army retreated to save our personnel because nothing is more important than human life. This concept seems foreign to the Russians. Our soldiers said the enemy attacks reminded horror movies when they climbed over the mounts of dead bodies to continue their attacks. It was also no longer possible to stay there because the enemy ammunition significantly exceeded our army’s abilities — one of the consequences of stalling in providing the requested military aid. It must feel good to know that you have the power to give or withhold the weapons at your discretion with little cost to you, but I wonder if those in this position would be willing to take responsibility for the lives lost.

However, over these years, we’ve seen again and again that it’s not about the power of men but about the sovereignty of God.
‭‭
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone the raging waters.
Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us as prey to their teeth!
We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken, and we have escaped!
Psalm 124:2-7