What can you give to someone who seems to have absolutely everything? I find myself asking that question quite frequently because choosing an appropriate present can prove quite a taxing experience. That was true of Christmas but now we’re on the birthday run again that question is already beginning to rear its tantalising head.

Having said that, I wonder what you’d give to someone who has lost everything. Now there’s a challenge! I wonder if you ever think of giving them a Bible for example? Now I know there are those who will say that it’s a ridiculous suggestion, but I have to tell you that evidence emerging from the Ukraine would suggest that it’s not as daft as it sounds. Let me explain. A recent report from the Bible Society states that the number of Bibles given out since the Russian invasion last February is more than twice the previous year’s total. By last September, they had put the Bible in the hands of 359,000 people which is 62 per cent more than during 2021, and interestingly almost half of these have been provided by British Christians. In fact, the team distributing these Bibles has been nicknamed ‘The Angels of Kyiv’ because of the difference they are making and they are getting requests for Bibles from everywhere with large numbers of people longing to read it.

So why are they doing this? What can the Bible do for people whose lives have been torn apart and ruined by war? I believe they are turning to it because they know the Bible is the ultimate book of hope. It assures us that God can prove both a refuge and a source of strength when we are in trouble. It also shows us that God loves us in the most incredible way and that He can to the most amazing things for those who put their trust in Him. In addition to this it is full of stories that reassure us that God can and does work in all things for the good of those who love Him. As Joseph of many colours fame said to his brothers who had sold him into slavery ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people’.

Yes, we must do all we can to resist evil in all its forms, and I have been thrilled to see the way in which people have opened their hearts and their homes to those whose lives have been devastated by Putin’s merciless attacks on their country. But let’s never forget that the best thing we can do to show we care for people is to let them know that whatever our circumstances, God can give us ‘strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow’. And the evidence from the Ukraine would seem that one of the best ways to do that is to encourage people to read the Bible. We can encourage them to pray too because ‘the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.’ The Bible tells us that!