Sic Semper Tyrannis. Thus always to tyrants. This has been said numerous times. Even when wrongly stated as by John Wilkes Booth. But this applies in full accuracy to Putin of Russia.
There have been many leaders from Russia who wielded great power intermingled with fear and cruelty. From Ivan the Terrible to Lenin, to Stalin and even the man called Stalin’s Himmler, Lavrentiy Beria. And now we have another force of evil in Vladimir Putin. But this tyranny has been the way throughout history and it seems that Russia has had a lion’s share. Mahatma Gandhi said, “There have always been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it always.” I pray the time is soon.
In Micah 2:1-2 it says,” Woe to those who devise iniquity and work out evil on their beds! At morning they practice it because it is in the power of their hand. They covet field and take them by violence, also houses and seize them. They oppress a man, his house and his inheritance.” But then Micah goes on to say that the Lord is devising disaster from which such as these cannot remove their necks. It seems that so many people like Putin go forth believing that their actions are without consequences. I’m referring to eternal consequences. As if they are not seen. In the Amplified Translation of Proverbs 6, the Lord says He hates “A proud look (the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others), a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood.” But men like Putin have no regard for God’s word. They are like brute beasts who speak evil of things they do not understand and they’ll utterly perish in their own corruption. They will leave a bloody stain on their place in history. And those who align themselves with this evil and make excuses for it will answer for their folly. As will those who condone those wrongly supporting this grievous sin.
In the meantime, it seems like people in Ukraine have to continue through this horror. And there are other nations that wonder if this terror awaits them by Putin. I’ve been in prayer for this for weeks now. It’s as if one can hear these people in Ukraine asking, “How long O Lord? Will you forget me forever? (Psalm 13:4) Yet, I feel the heartfelt words of David still apply here. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear. The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”(Psalm 27) “I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34) And, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the time of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.”(Nahum 1:7) It’s easier to cite those verses when bombs are not falling on you, but we must make it a point to align our prayers and faith with those who are in the midst of this vicious onslaught.
A reckoning is coming. Sic semper Tyrannis. God is not mocked. What one sows, he will reap. The Lord says in Isaiah 13 that He will punish the wicked for their iniquity and that He would cause the arrogance of the proud to cease. He would also lay low the haughtiness of the terrible and the boasting of the violent and the ruthless. This warning addresses more than just Putin. What I feel applies to Putin was prophesied in Isaiah 14:9 saying, “Hell from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming.” Those like Putin have no regard for God or His ways. They have no trouble crushing those who call on the Lord. I pray that the Lord confound Putin’s way so that he errs in his decisions and they backfire on him. I pray people rise up and stand against him. In Ukraine, Russia and throughout the world. But the ways of Putin I hate with a perfect hatred. I pray the words spoken in Jeremiah 15:21 over Ukraine. “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked. And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.” Stay in prayer. Seek Him always. This darkness is not far from us and has crept into areas many pay no concern to. He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Put on your armor. Blessings.
Stand My Watch 