Kristen Grossman Prose

From Psalm 91

Dear Heavenly Father,

May Ukraine and her people dwell in the shelter of the Most High
    and rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
May Ukraine and her people say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

Dear Lord, save Ukraine
    from Putin’s snare and deadly pestilence.
Father God, please cover Ukraine with your feathers,
    that under your wings Ukraine may find refuge;
    May your faithfulness be Ukraine’s shield and rampart.
May Ukraine not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.

May a thousand fall at Ukraine’s side,
    ten thousand at Ukraine’s right hand,
    but let evil not come near Ukraine and her people.
May the people of Ukraine only observe with their eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

 May the people of Ukraine say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and make the Most High their dwelling,
so that no harm will overtake them,
    no disaster will come near their tent.

Dear Lord, please command your angels concerning Ukraine and her people
    to guard them in all their ways;
May your angels lift Ukraine up in their hands,
    so that her people will not strike their feet against a stone.
May Ukraine tread on those who intend to destroy them;
    may they trample Putin and foil his evil plans.

 Dear Lord, you say that “Because my people love me, I will rescue them;
    I will protect them, for they acknowledge my name.
They will call on me, and I will answer them;
    I will be with them in trouble,
    I will deliver them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them
    and show them my salvation.”

Therefore, I ask your protection and deliverance for the people of Ukraine today,

Amen.

*A friend of mine recently introduced me to imprecatory prayer through a March 11, 2022 article in Christianity Today, entitled, “Go Ahead. Pray for Putin’s Demise.” Imprecatory prayers are prayers that call down calamity or curses upon evil and evildoers. While I have read imprecatory Psalms over the years, they always made me feel uncomfortable. They don’t seem to fit in with Jesus’s teaching of love and salvation for all.

However, when I flip my Bible to the New Testament, I read Jesus’s words of judgment on the Pharisees and teachers of the Law in Matthew 23. In Galatians 1:9, Paul calls down a curse on those who preach false gospels. There are times to be gentle, and times to face down pure evil. So, while I feel helpless to aid Ukraine in the battle against Putin, I turn today to the Psalms and lift up the country and people of Ukraine. Will you join me?

Our God is mighty.

Kristen