Today, as I had my morning quiet time, in addition to reading scripture and having prayer, this thought entered my mind. “The beacons are lit. ” Not from scripture, but a line from one of my favorite movies, “The Lord of the Rings (Return of the King),” in which Aragorn, seeing the raging fire of a beacon on the distant horizon, rushes to tell the king that “Gondor calls for aid!” A kingdom threatened by an overwhelmingly stronger army – evil in their intent – was approaching, and the smaller, weaker kingdom desperately needed assistance.

Ukraine is in the real-life situation rather than a fictitious story in which the invaders are defeated. The question of whether or not an evil regime that desires to overthrow a neighboring country will be successful, is still open, but it’s not looking good.

And Ukraine continues to call for aid. “The beacons are lit”…and have been since the beginning of Russia’s incursion into their neighboring nation.

We have seen the utter devastation for ourselves, via the evening news and first-hand reports. Thanks (?) to modern communication, we’ve even seen the video of innocent people – not soldiers, but civilians – being bombed, being driven from their own land, being shot, being killed. World leaders agree that Putin isn’t “just” fighting a battle but engaging in war crimes. “The beacons are lit.”

It is understandable that the nations of the world fear the threat and potential of nuclear war, especially when those holding the keys to their nuclear armaments seem so unhinged – read “evil.” But, once evil is allowed to infiltrate a peaceful nation unchecked, it becomes a cancer that has the potential to race around the world in spite of any efforts to maintain the peace. We have seen it before.

And this is our conundrum, what we do not know…how to stop evil, while maintaining peace…or if it is even possible.

What we do know is this, the beacons are lit. And we, in the free world, safe in our homes and in our beds, are called to answer.

Politically speaking, there might not be a lot that you or I can do that will affect governmental response. But privately, we can act, by donating to appropriate organizations that provide support to the Ukrainians, and lifting our prayers to the Prince of Peace, for wisdom to know how to respond corporately and privately.

Scripture tells us that there is a “time for war, and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:8; NASB). May God give us wisdom to respond to the beacons, and may He grant us peace so that the beacons of war may darken and grow cold.

Rev. Kim W. Chafee
3/7/2022