Anatoliy Raychynets was holding his sleeping seven-year-old son Georgy in Kyiv when Russian missiles rained down on his neighbourhood. The deputy secretary-general of the Ukrainian Bible Society entered the bomb shelter and laid his son down next to a concrete wall.

Georgy stirred and muttered the words, "Father, are there any more rockets? Why doesn't God answer our prayers for the war to end soon?" 

Anatoliy was reminded of the story of Simeon in the New Testament (see Luke 2.25 –33), who waited for God's promise that he would not die until he saw with his own eyes the Messiah promised by God, the coming salvation for all nations.

Sitting in the shelter, Anatoliy shares Simeon's story with Georgy and the other children. Anatoly says that Simeon's story is a reminder that God always keeps His promises.

Simeon's story is a reminder that God always keeps His promises. 

“Sometimes we just need to wait a long time and be patient, while still believing in him,” Anatoliy said as explosions were heard outside the shelter. When will this conflict end? God only knows. But one thing is for sure, Ukraine will need our prayers of safety and restoration for years to come. When will this conflict end?

For more than two years, our Ukrainian Bible Institute colleagues, like Anatoly, have been risking their lives to deliver aid, medicine and Bibles to people across the country, and increasingly to areas at the centre of the conflict.

In England and Wales, supporters of the Bible Society responded to the invasion by generously donating over £1.17 million. These funds were not only used to help distribute over one million Bibles, but also to provide a Bible-based handbook, Beyond Disaster, to help communities overcome the trauma suffered during the conflict. The fund also provided other much-needed assistance and support to Anatoliy and his colleagues.

Thanks to reliable monthly donations from supportersBible a MonthBible Friends, the British Bible Society (BFBS) was able to send Bibles to Ukraine as soon as the war started. The support of the Friends of the Bible also enabled the Ukrainian Bible Society to obtain funds to organise relief efforts for the victims of the war, such as: medicines, food for children and other necessities. By joining the Bible a Monthyou can help provide a direct supply of Scripture to people who need it in many places. Every 3 months, the British Bible Society will send out a newsletter to members of Bible a Month, which tells the story of how the regular support of Friends of the Bible has brought the Bible to many people around the world. Being a Friend of the Bible means being an extension of God who greets and reminds people: God never forgets His promises. Immanuel.

Author: Simon Bartz

Extracted from article: Bible Society UK (biblesociety.uk)