We will be praying this prayer of lament in our service this morning, standing with the people of Ukraine, especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ in that nation. This lament is based on Psalm 1o.
Oh sovereign and saving God, we come to you today to cry out on behalf of the people in the Ukraine, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ who live there.
It seems today that you are far away, distant from their struggles. In arrogance, the wicked are pursing the poor and broken. Lord, may they be caught in your snares, and may their efforts be ruined. In their pride, wicked rulers and evil people reject you, Oh God, and seek only to honor themselves. Yet, their ways prosper. The fear of God and concern from your judgment are far from them, and any concern for people whom you love is ignored. The mouths of the wicked are filled with curses and dishonesty, and like a lion in a thicket, they crush the poor and powerless. They believe that you are unable and unwilling to act in judgment.
We grieve with those who are being displaced, and pray for those who are already or soon will be living as refugees. We mourn the loss of life in this conflict. We pray for believers in this nation as they seek to honor you in the most difficult times. And we pray that this will result in an awakening in the Ukraine and Russia, a movement of your spirit so that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will fill those lands.
So today we call on you to act. Arise, O God, lift up your hand, forget not the afflicted. As the helpless in the Ukraine commit themselves to you, show yourself near to them and act on their behalf. You do see their pain, and you are the helper of the helpless and fatherless. Ruin the efforts of the evil against them, call evil to account and show your glory.
We acknowledge that the Lord is king forever and ever. The nations perish from His hand. O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted, and you will strengthen their heart, you incline your ear to their cry. Do justice for the fatherless and oppressed, so that the man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
In the name of Jesus, we pray.
Amen.