Psalm 46 has been a source of great encouragement for me in the past few days and has helped to guide my prayers for Russia and Ukraine. I hope that it can be an encouragement and a help to you as well.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
GOD is the one we should turn to. Our refuge is not in a bomb shelter. Our strength is not in military or in diplomacy. God is our refuge and strength. What’s more, he doesn’t go away. When trouble strikes…he is still there. He will never run, he will never leave. We are not on our own in times of trouble.
O Lord, I praise you for being strong and for being an enduring refuge. I pray that the people of Ukraine would look to you for strength and protection. We know that you will never leave, and so I pray that those caught in the middle of what is going on would cling to your enduring presence, Father.
“Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah.”
Our peace and confidence are founded in the character of God explained in verse one. Even if the worst possible thing happened…even if the earth itself crumbled from underneath our feet…God would still be there and we would have no reason to fear. When your confidence is in God, nothing can shake that confidence.
Lord, in light of these verses, I want to pray for peace and confidence, and I want to pray against fear. First of all I pray for the people of Ukraine, particularly those who are members of your family. I pray that they would be bold and fearless, that their unshaking confidence would be grounded in your unshaking character. But I also want to pray for believers around the world. It can be so easy to fear in the face of evil. May we all remember that there is no reason to fear, because you are with us. We will not fear, no matter what takes place in Russia, Ukraine, China, Nigeria…you are bigger than any of it, and you are stable in the midst of all the shaking in this earth.
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.”
The specific context here is Zion, the city of God. But the principle is timeless: God is the one who helps. Because God is with his people, they need not fear. There is peace, calm, and stability in the presence of God that contrasts greatly with the turmoil “out there” in the world.
Lord, I pray that the unshaking faith and confidence of your people in Ukraine will shine as a bright beacon to those around them who do not know you. I pray that you would strengthen them and give them a deep sense of calm in the face of everything going on around them. May that peace and calm be a light to those in darkness.
“The nations rage, the kingdoms totter, he utters his voice, the earth melts.”
The idea of the nations raging hearkens back to Psalm 2. We feel this raging, tottering, and turmoil very deeply, especially when a new headline like the Russian invasion rocks our world. It is so easy to forget the strength of our God. This verse reminds us that by the power of His voice, the earth melts. The very ground we stand on is subject to the words of God…so also the raging nations around us.
Lord, we pray that you would still the raging and the war. We pray that you would bring peace. We pray that you would speak and bring an end to all evil in this world. The cry of our hearts is for your kingdom of lasting peace to come to this world and to rule.
“Yahweh of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.”
God commands an army of angels! That’s what “Yahweh of Hosts” reminds us of. He is also the God who keeps his covenants and promises…that’s what we see in the second part of this verse. He is powerful and he is dependable.
God, commander of the hosts of heaven, keeper of all promises, we turn to you for refuge. Your power is a greater fortress than anything we can create on earth. We look to you for salvation.
“Come, behold the works of Yahweh, how he has brought desolations on the earth.”
This is an invitation. An invitation to come and to gaze upon the things that God is doing in this earth. We recognize here that HE is the one who causes all things to happen on this globe. His hands are behind it all, orchestrating it all.
God, we have seen you do amazing things in the past, and we are confident that you are able to do amazing things now and in the future. We look to you. You are the only one who can bring about peace and resolution. You are the only one who has a solution. Please move in powerful ways that show the way you are behind everything that takes place on this earth.
“He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.”
It is not Putin or Biden or Zelenskyy, or any of the NATO leaders, or any other world power that can make the war stop. God is the only one who can bring peace. God is the one who turns the heart of kings like a stream of water to carry out his will. He alone has power to stop a war.
In light of this Lord, we pray that you would bring peace. This is the cry of our heart as we watch what is happening in Ukraine. Please bring peace, Father God. I ask that you would cause this war to cease.
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
There is a certainty to this statement. God’s exaltation and his glory WILL take place. There is no question about that. So what are we to do in response? We are to be still…to literally “cease striving.” To leave it in God’s hands. Yes, of course there are things that we can and should do to help the situation, but ultimately it is in God’s hands and it is for HIS purposes in this earth. He will be exalted, and NO war, NO world power, NO evil, NO corruption can stand in his way.
Lord, I pray that you would give us the strength to be still. Help us to rest, to cease striving, and to leave the results of this in your hands. Exalt and glorify your name through what is taking place across this globe and in Ukraine right now. O Lord, we pray that we would be able to be still before you, to watch for how your name will be made great through these world events. O Father, glorify your name.
“Yahweh of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.”
Again, here, we have a reminder of the character of God. This is why we can be still – because we know who our God is.
We praise you, O God, for what you are going to do through the evil of this situation. We pray that you would stop the evil plans of Putin and other world leaders like him. We pray that you would thwart them. We pray that if it is your will, you would bring peace and an end to the fighting. But we know that no matter what happens, you will be glorified, and so we praise you for how you will be exalted through this. O Lord God, we praise you for what you will do in Ukraine, in Russia, and around the world.
Thank you Bethany for providing these scriptures and prayers. I think it good to pray what God has written back to Him. It’s beneficial to have direction on how to pray for Ukraine. Thank you!