“The most dangerous moment in a foreign policy paradigm is its birth, is its beginning. Because at the beginning, the rules remain unknown. The alliances remain untested, and there is not predictability. That’s where we are right now.” ~ Ezra Klein
We all are feeling danger as we watch what is happening in Ukraine. Something is upon us and many of us have been driven to our knees for want of a safer place to go.
As a new paradigm is being formed we’re all asking ourselves how do we make common cause with our fellow travelers on this planet?
“We must all hang together, or most assuredly, we will all hang separately.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
The larger question facing us all is, what are we prepared to sacrifice for a planet crying out for attention while the forces of greed and repression run roughshod over innocent people and threaten the world with a gruesome end? Would we sacrifice some of our material and financial comfort? Something else? The truth is, we don’t know what kind of sacrifice might be needed. But new ages are not created painlessly.
Thank God, history provides us some remarkable examples of where and with whom to stand.
This picture is of Harry Hopkins, Franklin Roosevelt’s wartime emissary, boarding a plane in Britain to report back to the president on how America might help the British survive the war with Germany.
His departing words to the those Britons gathered at the tarmac were:
”Remember, whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God ~ until the very end.”
Thus began a broad new global alliance that would win a war and secure a peace that would survive three generations.
But in honoring that pledge, 100 million lives would be sacrificed.
How different the world would be had that sacrifice not been made.
Now we’ve returned to that tarmac, what will be our pledge? What will be our departing words? A new chapter in world history must be written. Who shall be its author and what will it say?
God only knows.
At this stage, it feels as if it’s 3 o’clock in the morning and we’ve awakened from a nightmare. Our apprehensions are deep for the stakes are so high and the margin for error is small.
Prayer is the only language that makes sense to me right now. Once again, history provides a scene when a wartime leader turned to prayer.
On the evening of June 6,1944 Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the American people on the arrival of D-Day.
He asked the nation to join him in prayer, excerpted here.
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
…For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas — whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them, help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
…And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be...
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
What would your prayer be now? I know I’m praying that those in our leadership throughout the world would be at their best, finding the wisdom they need to guide their decisions and actions, making those decisions with humility and courage, and having the capacity to speak to us with clarity and honesty about the sacrifices that are needed.
And God be with the people of Ukraine.
Just a thought..
Pat
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