looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Yesterday we had a Prayer Sabbath. We have done this before and everyone seemed to enjoy it, so we are trying to do it once a quarter. There are a few things shared here and there but mostly everyone has an opportunity to pray. We had this planned for a while now, but it turned out that yesterday was a perfect day for a Prayer Sabbath. With everything going on in the world right now, especially in Ukraine, a day of prayer was very fitting.
I was moved to pray, not just for Ukraine, but for everyone. We need to pray for Putin, all those following his orders, the people of Ukraine, and our military. My co-worker expressed something to me the other day when all this started. He is no longer in the military, but he has been before and has been in war. This brought back so much for him. Most of which is pain.
During our conversation, he expressed that he had to set his morals aside and he could never atone for what he did. This really stayed with me. I responded at the time in a way that I feel God would have wanted me to, but it stayed with me. Those in war, following orders and doing what they feel is the right thing to do, often see the worst brutality, and sometimes even are a part of it. Guilt, grief, pain, all comes with that. They often feel there is nothing they can do to atone for what they did.
I reminded him; he doesn’t have to. You see, we can’t atone for any of the sin we take part in. We can’t. No matter what we do, there is no way for us to atone for it. There is One who has already paid that price for us. There is One that was the perfect atonement for us. Only He could atone for us. He is in the heavenly sanctuary, sitting at the right hand of God, pleading with our Heavenly Father on our behalf. Jesus. The lamb that was slain.
We need to turn our eyes to Him. We need to start right now. If we ask for His forgiveness, He will give it. We need to turn from our ways and follow His. Let’s show Him our gratitude and love for the price He paid. Let’s all turn toward Him today in prayer. Pray for forgiveness, pray for strength, and thank Him for all He has done for us. Pray for Ukraine, pray for both sides, pray for the military, pray for each other, and pray for ourselves. Prayer is powerful. Pray.