Dutch Sheets: Pray for the Trump and Putin Meeting Today
The animosity between Ukraine and Russia has deep historical roots that stretch way back beyond the two modern states, similar to the millennia-old conflicts throughout the Middle East. Layers of rule, painful memories, and strategic interests have built a long-running tension.
[GiveHim15.com] We live in interesting times. Those on the Left are demonstrating against Trump and the National Guard who are attempting to make Washington, DC safer and cleaner. They contend that DC is already safe and that crime isn't a problem. Chuck Schumer says he feels perfectly safe walking around the Capitol area. He, of course, has his armed Secret Service detail all around him. Proverbs 18:1-2 comes to mind: "Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense. Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions." (New Living Translation) (Screengrab image: via Newsmax)
Then there are the Democratic legislators in Texas who have walked off the job, protesting what they consider to be gerrymandering by the Republicans (redrawing Congressional districts in order to obtain more seats for a political party). Apart from the fact that abandoning their legislative jobs is illegal, the Dems did so by fleeing the state and hiding in Illinois, one of the most Democrat-gerrymandered states in the nation! "Let's protest gerrymandering by fleeing to some of our gerrymandering friends!" One can't help but wonder who thought that was a good idea.
Meanwhile, "villain Trump" is off to Alaska today, attempting to stop another war. The Left doesn't like this, either—someone else should end the war in Ukraine! As I have stated before, it appears TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) is real and growing much more destructive.
It doesn't matter to most of us who gets the credit for ending the war in Ukraine; we would just like for the incredible suffering and loss of life to end. It seems that the economic pressure Trump has been placing on Russia is having an effect; Putin has requested a meeting with him. No one knows if the meeting will be productive—the tensions between Russia and Ukraine are great, and they seem to be pretty far apart with their demands—but it is worth a try. (Screengrab image: via Give Him 15)
Though Putin's brutal attack against Ukraine cannot be justified, the situation is a little more complicated than most of us Americans understand. The animosity between Ukraine and Russia has deep historical roots that stretch way back beyond the two modern states, similar to the millennia-old conflicts throughout the Middle East. Layers of rule, painful memories, and strategic interests have built a long-running tension. Here is a brief historical review based on my research, which perhaps will help us pray more intelligently.
In medieval and early modern times, what is now Ukraine and Russia shared a significant amount of culture and political intermingling. Over the centuries, this changed.
The 19th and early 20th centuries saw an intensification of conflicting ideals. A Ukrainian national awakening challenged foreign dominance. World War I and the collapse of empires opened a brief window for Ukrainian independence, but an ensuing civil war and foreign interventions left Ukraine fragmented and under Soviet control by 1922.
Under the Soviet Union era, the central government exercised tight and sometimes brutal political and economic control. One of the many negative outcomes in Ukraine was the famine-genocide in 1932–33 under Stalin (known as the Holodomor). This became an enduring and painful symbol of Soviet oppression for Ukraine. At least 3.5 million Ukrainians died, and some say it was closer to 7 million. World War II also added to the complexity and tensions, with postwar borders further entrenching Moscow's authority over Ukrainian life.
Fast-forward to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine declared independence, seeking Europe-oriented reforms and security assurances. Moscow's reluctance to relinquish influence and Kyiv's desire to assert sovereignty led to friction over security guarantees, energy supplies, and the status of Crimea. (Crimea is the southeast portion of Ukraine on the Black Sea.) The 2004 and 2014 uprisings in Ukraine (the Orange Revolution and the Maidan protests) crystallized a push toward European integration and further away from Moscow's sphere of influence.
Then came Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and the resulting war in eastern Ukraine, followed by the broader invasion in 2022, which is what the world is now dealing with. Russia attempted to justify its actions, framing them as 1) protecting ethnic Russians and Russian speakers, and 2) countering NATO expansion. Ukraine frames them as illegal aggression and attacks against its sovereignty, which, of course, they are. The conflict has revived debates about history, painful interactions, security interests, and centuries of competing narratives.
Although Putin is a violent and, I believe, evil man, let's pray that he will agree to end this war and the suffering of millions of people. Let's pray that Zelinsky and the Ukrainian people can move beyond the pain and devastation of Russia's current aggression and, for the sake of saving many lives, be willing to negotiate a peace deal. Doing so won't be easy when Russia is demanding some of their territory and has dealt them such pain and suffering. I'm not sure ANY peace deal will be "fair" to the Ukrainians, but the other two options may indeed be worse: their complete annihilation by Russia, or other nations entering the conflict and causing a Third World War. There may be other options I am not aware of, but the situation is certainly very complicated. Trump is a skillful negotiator. Let's pray that God gives him wisdom and great insight as he meets with Putin. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here
Pray with me:
Father, President Trump has certainly come into the Kingdom at a precarious time in history. We believe that You have shaped and prepared him for such a time as this. Please amplify the skills You have given him and use his gifts to bring forth a breakthrough for the Ukrainian and Russian people. Give him and his team strategies that produce the outcome needed at this time.
We pray that You would help the Ukrainian and Russian people recover from the incredible devastation they have suffered for these past few years. Many, many lives have been lost to both nations, and incredible damage has occurred to numerous cities and thousands of homes. War is so horrible. Use this challenging time to draw people to You, as has happened many times in history. We ask that You save millions of Ukrainians and Russians.
And Father, we ask for wisdom for our government officials as they work to end crime and violence in our nation. America is reaping the fruit of great rebellion, but in Your mercy, please send an awakening and a reforming of our nation. Bring this current youth revival to greater levels very quickly, and we ask for this especially in inner cities and neighborhoods. At times, the strongholds seem insurmountable. But this is not true! You CAN save a generation, and we are asking for this. Rain down revival, we pray.
All of these things we ask in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
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