Exactly 1 year ago today terrorists aimed a guided surface to air missile at Malaysian Air flight 17 as it crossed the skies of Ukraine. The Buk missile tore through the fuselage of the Boeing 777 causing it to break-up mid-air and plummet to earth.
Photo: Rueters
All 283 passengers and 15 crew members lost their lives that day.
Residents of a village near the crash site reported hearing loud thuds in the fields and in their gardens, then they realized it was the sound of bodies raining down from the sky.
One year later no one has taken responsibility for this horrific act, the grieving families are left without many answers and the war in Easter Ukraine continues its grinding destruction of cities, villages, homes and families.
Unfortunately not much has changed!
Today Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko remembered this tragic loss and promised to seek justice for those who perpetrated this crime.
I do hope that justice will be done and I do pray that the Ukrainian government can somehow bring peace back to Ukraine, but honestly, right now that seems very far off.
That’s why ultimately my hope is not in Ukraine’s president or in Ukraine’s Army but in a stronger and more capable leader named Jesus.
Tragic situations like the downing of MH17 remind me of a constant need to go back to Jesus, the only one who can provide us with hope and the promise of a complete victory over all evil.
The downing of MH-17 reminds me of several important truths.
1. It reminds me of the brevity of life and the importance of choosing every minute and every second wisely for God’s glory.
2. It reminds me the all sin and all lawlessness has repercussions far beyond those for immediately involved. (Not a single passenger on MH-17 was from Ukraine.)
3. It reminds me that a lack of justice and order of law will destroy any country.
4. It reminds me of the limitations of human government, it helps me to see beyond the politics and the need for a King of kings and Prince of Peace.
Unfortunately in our culture of levity and entertainment we are often more interested in the social life problems of reality stars then we are in the real-life tragedies of unknown and innocent civilians.
We have become so entwined in our own triviality that it blinds us to the gravity of tragic events like this. Solomon said it well:
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of the stupid one is in the house of mirth.
(Ecc 7:4)
May our hearts be wise today as we mourn for the 298 innocents killed one year ago.
May our hearts be wise as we center our attention and our hope on Jesus, our only true and lasting hope.
Today I’m taking some time to pray for the victims of MH-17, I’m also praying for those who committed this crime that they will somehow hear about the forgiveness that Jesus gives and fall on their knees before a holy and just God in repentance.
I hope you’ll join me in prayer today for Ukraine, for peace, and the families who are still suffering from this terrorist act.
