Most of us have no idea what it really means to be in a fight for our freedom.

Yes, we may feel that our freedoms are being encroached upon, but we haven’t been physically attacked in a way that requires us to deploy our very right to bear arms to defend our homeland.

This describes what's happening in Ukraine right now.

Despite that country's invasion by  Russia, valiant defenders of freedom fight on because of the very thing sustaining them — hope.

As we hear the stories coming out of the region and watch this terrible conflict unfold, one question we consider is: Is freedom dependent on hope or is it the other way around? Those of us who have heard the stories from some of "The Greatest Generation" those who Gwho spent time in prisoner of war (POW) camps in the Philippines and Japan would agree that hope is paramount.

My father-in-law was one of these men held captive for three plus years during World War II. He and all the others in the camps throughout southeast Asia were under a certain death sentence. It was not "if," but "when" that sentence would be carried out. As a prisoner he was a slave laborer working in rice fields to a steel mill to a copper mine.

He had nothing but his faith in God and the clothes on his back.

The only way to get replacement clothing was from other dead prisoners’ bodies.

Imagine being hungry and thirsty for 42 continuous months coupled with the fact that any day could be your last one on earth.

He only weighed 86 pounds when he was finally freed from captivity.

He told me that he was able to survive only because he had hope.

He and others were tested to the limit of their endurance by starvation, malaria, beriberi, dengue fever, cruel beatings, death marches, hell ships and many other inhumane conditions.

Many POWs were murdered, while others just gave up and died; others persevered to the end of the war. they were saved.

I asked him how he endured this ordeal. He explained, "I knew America would always come back for me."

That is a declaration of faith, and also one of  hope. It reminds this writer of Jesus’ promise to return, as we read in John 14:1-3.

For many of Ukraine’s freedom fighters, their struggle may also seem insurmountable. Yet the hope that sustains them is their hope in Christ, who will return for them.

It is such hope inspiring their total commitment to a free Ukraine, whatever the cost.

Absent that freedom, future generations of Ukrainian children and grandchildren may never know the life-giving hope found in a relationship with the Almighty.

Those who would quash individuals’ freedoms recognize the danger in the proliferation of such heart-stirring hope.

There was a time when our ministry had to smuggle the Holy Bible under the Iron Curtain.

What were the guards most concerned about being taken as contraband into communist territory? Guns and Bibles. Anything else in comparison was inconsequential.

But those in authority recognized that these were the two items that could inspire hope and dreams of freedom for those living under oppression.

As the war continues and more atrocities are uncovered, those fighting for Ukraine and their loved ones seeking refuge far from home are in danger of not only losing their freedom, but losing hope.

While we can only pray that Ukraine’s political allies have the willpower needed to defeat their aggressors, each of us as individuals can do our part to see that the people of Ukraine have the Bibles they need to ensure that everyone possible knows of their eternal hope in Christ.

As we are reminded in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Stand in prayer with them. If they receive those precious Bibles, it will arm their hearts and souls for spiritual battle. We can also give to help meet their humanitarian needs,

Let's clearly communicate the love that binds our hearts to theirs, because of the hope we share. While we have ultimate freedom in Jesus Christ. We must defend earthly freedom where we can, so that the hope of the Gospel can be shared far and wide.

We may be able to survive without freedom — but without hope, we are totally lost. 

Bob Burckle is the President of Eastern European Mission, which has been delivering God’s Word to the people of Eastern Europe since 1961. They were able to provide 1.5 million Bibles and Bible-based materials in the region in 2021, including in public schools in Croatia, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. Learn more at www.eem.org. In addition to their annual Bibles for Kids campaign (www.eem.org/bfk) they have begun accepting donations to deliver humanitarian aid along with the Bibles to Ukrainian refugees at http://www.eem.org/ukraineaid.