A Prayer on the Second Anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2024

O Lord, two years ago we awoke to the news that Russia had actually invaded Ukraine.

We prayed earnestly and frequently – we prayed as we saw images of violence and death, we prayed as we saw and heard about refuges and internally displaced people, we prayed as we heard about the injured and the grieving. We prayed that the war would end, that peace would come.

O Lord, we confess that we have not prayed as earnestly or as frequently in the last year. We have become immune, desensitized to the impact the war is having on children, on families, on communities. We have stopped being shocked by the violence, by the death, by the injuries. We have failed to hold up the people of Ukraine in our prayers. We have failed to pray for a transformation in the hearts of leaders in Russia.

But, Lord, two years on, we come again to pray for peace. We pray again for the grieving who have lost loved ones, send then comfort and compassion. We pray again for the refugees who have left behind home and family, strengthen them in their dislocation. We pray again for those whose lives are shattered with air strikes and air raid warnings, let them know a peace in the midst of fear that only you can give. We pray again that the leadership in Russia would stop this war, may the Prince of peace come to rule in the hearts of many along the war front and in the military planning rooms. We pray towards a time beyond the war’s end, that reconciliation and healing will replace the desire for vengeance and retaliation.

Lord, have mercy and bring peace.

Jesus Christ, have mercy and bring peace.

Lord, have mercy and bring peace.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.