We Need a Power Above Us

We Are in Need of a Greater Power

The former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev passed away Sunday at the age of 91. Without resorting to military force, he ended the Cold War by instituting significant political and economic reforms in the USSR after coming to office in 1985. In recognition of his bold leadership, he was presented with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

He is one of the few persons who truly influenced the course of events.

Unexpectedly, although Gorbachev is being celebrated as a hero in the West today, in Russia he is largely considered as a villain. Among Russian nationals, just 8% in a 2017 survey had a favorable opinion of him, while 60% or more expressed “distaste” or “hate” for him.

Many Russians agree with President Putin that the fall of the Soviet Union was “the biggest geopolitical tragedy of the century,” which explains this phenomenon. In the same 2017 survey that showed such disdain for Gorbachev, 83% had a favorable opinion of Putin, while only 5% had an unfavorable one.

That’s right, burn it all to the ground and start over.

Is that opinion still held or has the invasion of Ukraine altered it?

There is now an 87% popularity rating for Putin in Russia, with 69% of the population believing their nation is headed in the right direction. In comparison, only 10% of Americans think we’re moving in the right way, and only 6% of us trust Putin to lead the country.

Russian state media portray the invasion of Ukraine as the latest in a long line of foreign attempts to conquer the Russian Federation. If you believe this theory, the West is waging a full-scale cultural war against Russia. This has led to only 14% of Russians being anti-war.

Not unexpectedly, Gorbachev blamed Putin for undoing his life’s effort.

The Russian terms glasnost (“openness”) and perestroika (“rebuilding”) entered the English language during Gorbachev’s presidency as he enacted policies that allowed for more freedom of expression, economic reforms, and a reduction in tensions with the West. However, ever since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russia has enacted legislation making criticism of the war a felony punishable by lengthy prison terms. Affronted with worldwide isolation as a result of Western-imposed sanctions, Moscow has stifled dissenting views and is now unable to hear any foreign voices of support.

“All Gorbachev’s reforms—to zero, to ashes, to smoke,” says Alexei Venidiktov, a longtime Kremlin opponent and personal friend of Gorbachev. When pressed for proof, he cites the presence of 4,000 NATO fast reaction forces in Europe at the time of Gorbachev’s departure as an example. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has now said that there would be 300,000 by the end of 2019.

In other words, “HE MAKES NATIONS GREAT, AND HE DESTROYS THEM.”

A Russian leader who is widely despised by his country’s citizens is being praised by the United States today. At the same time, a Russian leader many Americans loathe is currently popular among Russians.

The future of ties between the countries with the greatest nuclear arsenals is thus not looking good.

North Korea’s nuclear weapons, China’s rise to global dominance, and Iran’s increasing influence all pose significant risks to international stability. Complicate this ongoing pandemic with global economic uncertainty and deep and rancorous political conflicts inside the United States and many other countries.

What more proof do we need that we require a Higher Power?

For Job, God is both the one who expands countries and the one who destroys them (Job 12:23). Upon what do you base that assertion? All nations that turn their backs on God will eventually join the wicked in hell (Psalm 9:17). ““Blessed is the country whose God is the LORD,” on the other hand, contrasts this (Psalm 33:12).

If the country or kingdom about which the Lord has spoken repents and turns away from its iniquity, the Lord will abort the tragedy he had planned to inflict on it. And if I say about a country or a kingdom, “I will construct and plant it,” and it acts evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will yield of the good that I had meant to accomplish to it (Jeremiah 18:7-10).

All of our desires are ours, for the taking.

Tomorrow, I’ll be able to relate what we’ve spoken about today to a situation in the United States. As we wrap up for the day, let’s try it out on ourselves. It’s better to seek refuge in the LORD than to put faith in any man, and the same is true of nations as well as their citizens. As the L says, “Trust in the L, not in princes” (Psalm 118:8-9).

The Bible says that when we stop relying on ourselves and “take shelter in the LORD,” we set ourselves up to be used by God in ways we never could have imagined. He uses us to alter the eternal destinies of immortal souls as we begin each day by submitting to his Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). When we give all we have to the One who gave it to us, he utilizes our work to bring glory to his Son and expand his kingdom.

Whether or whether you achieve the kind of fame enjoyed by figures like Mikhail Gorbachev, if Jesus Christ is your Lord, you are a precious child of the King and fully accepted in His family. Furthermore, your next act of fidelity to your Lord will reverberate throughout eternity long after the Soviet Union and the United States of America have been forgotten.

Just as Jesus prayed to his Father every morning, so should you. “Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42). Repeat that throughout the day and see where he directs your steps. And always keep in mind that God’s will never takes us wherever His grace cannot keep us afloat.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson pleaded, “Our wills are ours, to make them thine.”

Involve God in your plans today by making your will his.