100 days of full-scale war on Ukraine

Ira Kapitonova is with Ivan Kapitonov and Dmytro Bereza

After the first month of the war, one of my fears was that the count of days of war would go into the hundreds…

Today, I was reflecting on these 100 days. When we woke up to the sounds of explosions at 5 am on February 24, in a way, I felt relief. No longer living in fear. No longer second-guessing. The inevitable has come. We knew that the only thing we could do was trust God.

I remember that sticky exhausting anxiety in the weeks before the invasion. I remember the hushed conversations on what people would do if “it” happened. Іван and I discussed the things we needed to pack. We talked through what we would do if there were no cell phone reception. We checked with the school to see their plan in case of an emergency. Every day, I would take a deep breath, drop off my son at school, go to work, and keep checking my phone for news to make sure I was up-to-date on everything, and I would exhale only after all of us were home together in the evening. I remember putting together a grocery list and wondering if we’d actually get to cook and eat that food. There was an important doctor’s appointment for our son, and we had to postpone it due to sickness, so I was constantly wondering if we’d actually make it. We saw the doctor late in the evening on February 23. It was on the other end of the city. I remember driving home that night and thinking, “We must make it home before it starts.”

These 100 days changed us. They have changed the world. Even though Ukraine has suffered dramatically and still has much suffering ahead, I believe we have already won. We’ve gained a moral victory in this war. Our children and grandchildren will not be ashamed of our decisions. We didn’t compromise. We didn’t run in fear. We stood up for what we valued and did it with dignity.

We’ve seen God’s faithfulness. It was evident in big and small things. And I pray we’ll see many more of His miracles. I pray we’ll remain faithful to Him. I praise God for all the support we’ve had and pray the support for Ukraine will continue.

Tonight, once again, there was an air raid warning for all regions of Ukraine. And tonight, I will stand firm on what I know about God and His character. I will stand on the promises of Psalm 34:

I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.