A Brave Front

The words of Joshua chapter 1 as he assumed leadership over Israel can echo in our own minds and help to give us confidence. We can read these words:
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

We need the Word of God - we need to hold on tightly to His principles that we find in Scripture. His wisdom can help us to navigate the challenges that we encounter and will give us clear-headedness when we are discouraged.  As God's Word is activated within us, we can grow in faith and reject fear.  When we have God's direction through the clarity of Scripture, we can experience what He wants us to do and develop a greater reliance on Him.

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If we are convinced that God is with us, we know that He will give us the capacity to stand strong in the midst of challenging circumstances. Psalm 56 states:
3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
5 All day they twist my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They gather together, They hide, they mark my steps, When they lie in wait for my life.

Later in the Psalm, we see these words:
9 When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me.
10 In God (I will praise His word), In the Lord (I will praise His word),
11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

We continue to be mindful that war has come to Ukraine, and that Russia is still pursuing its aim of subverting this neighboring nation, which was once part of the former Soviet Union.  

And, in the midst of destruction and discouragement, there is rejoicing and resolve, according to a Faithwire story that highlighted Bucha, a suburb of the capital city of Kyiv. The story quotes a man named Oleksandr, who was quoted by CBN News: “The Russians should take these tanks and parade them in Moscow,” adding, “The fact that we forced them out of Bucha is God’s miracle! This is God’s miracle and nothing else.”

The Russian troops actually abandoned its assault on Bucha on March 31; however, there is the ongoing discovery of bodies of those who lost their lives.  

The article mentions several Ukrainian pastors, and states:

Oleg Bondarenko knows how fortunate he is to be alive.

A few days after the war started, Russian soldiers captured this pastor along with several other civilians and tortured them behind this gate for days.

“I was so nervous that they would find something compromising about me,” Bondarenko, a Ukrainian pastor in Bucha, recounted to CBN News. “The Russian battalion commander did not like me; he was always angry with me.”

He was questioned about "Ukrainian military positions," according to the story. Fortunately, in which is called a "counter-offensive," the pastor was rescued by Ukrainian soldiers. 

Not far from there, 168 Ukrainian Christians hid in the basement of a Bucha church. Pastor Sergey Anohin told CBN News there were 15 soldiers total, 4 of them entered the basement. He said, "When they entered the church, they kicked open the church door, and cursed at us.”  The story states:

Remaining at the church for several days, the soldiers constantly intimidated those hiding in the basement.

Video and photographs obtained by CBN News show church members praying, singing, and reading scriptures day and night.

Pastor Anohin said, "We now know that during this time, while we sought refuge in the basement, people around us, many of them were being killed by the Russians, many of them were being tortured...” But, he contends, “It was very clear to us that God was watching over us, everything was in His hands. Like the story of how Daniel was in the lion’s den, we were under God’s protection.”

The pastor lost his home on day 2 of the war and encourages people to pray for his city, stating, "I would like for people to pray for our city that God would give peace in people’s hearts,” adding, "There’s a lot of anger and hatred for what the Russians did to us but I’m praying God will touch us and give us peace.” He says, "I would like our city to be remembered for those who were loyal, those who protected the city, and were faithful to God.”

It's always helpful to consider what we will be remembered for.  Ultimately, our goal should be to impact others for Christ, walking faithfully in His love - if we are faithful to Him, we can be confident that we will bear fruit for Him.

Because we know Christ and have Him living on the inside of us, we have the capacity to exhibit bravery in the Lord - we can stand strong against fear.  And, when fear is overcome, we can boldly speak and act according to God's purposes.

We might face opposition and intimidation, but we can possess resolve to call on God and to trust Him.  We can stare back at persecution or hostility, standing strong in the presence of Jesus, the One, who is, according to Psalm 73, which I read on Friday, our "portion."