Franklin Graham calls Christians to pray for Ukraine

by mcardinal

Lauren Moye, FISM News

 

Franklin Graham, President of both Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, called for today to be a special day of prayer for the people of Ukraine.

“I would like to join others in calling for a special day of prayer for the people of Ukraine,” Graham wrote on Facebook in a post that has received 52 thousand shares at the time this article was written. Ukraine entered the fourth day of conflict with Russia this morning.

Graham continued, “Today—Sunday, February 27—I hope that tens of thousands of churches and millions of families around the world will stand together in prayer, asking Almighty God to work in the hearts of leaders and bring an end to this deadly conflict.”

According to Graham, the international Christian organization has “many friends not only in Ukraine but also Russia as well,” making the war especially emotional for this leader. Graham has been one of many Christian leaders who have used their platforms as a beacon of hope and a call to prayer during a war that has cost thousands of people their lives so far.

Greg Laurie, who pastors California’s Harvest Christian Fellowship, reshared Graham’s call to prayer on Twitter. Laurie’s response to Russia and Ukraine is notable because of his belief that Russia is linked to the Old Testament prophecy involving an unidentified country labeled as Gog and Magog. He talked extensively about this belief in a Christian Post article before reminding Christians, “We should look up, and we should remember that God is in control.”

Chris Hutchinson, the senior pastor of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, issued his own call to prayer in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Sunday address, saying, “I think it is entirely appropriate for churches to pray imprecatory prayers against his rule this morning. Pray for God to restrain his violent impulses and more moderate colleagues to remove him from office.”

Prayer is an ongoing theme among Christian responses because of its importance in the Bible. A simple action on the part of believers can have big results. As woman’s leader and writer Beth Moore shared on the first day of war, “Do not imagine for a moment prayer doesn’t matter.”

Moore tweeted out a heartfelt prayer this morning for the people of Ukraine:

Despite the dark reality of war, God continues to be sovereign. Christians remain in the country like a shining light on a city. One brave pastor, Vasyl Ostryi, refused to evacuate Kyiv as he saw a way to serve others.

“During this critical moment, our church, which has about 1,000 people attending on a normal Sunday, is also a place of service,” Ostryi shared, before explaining the first-aid training they had provided to the area’s citizens to use tourniquets, manage airways, and save lives.

Ostryi continued, “These lay people aren’t going to become doctors, but this has given them confidence to care for their neighbors if necessary. In fact, when I first announced the first-aid training, one brother told me, “Now I know why I need to stay in Ukraine.” He had planned to leave. He knew he was not a soldier. He wasn’t able to take up arms and fight. But he now wants to stay, to help the wounded, and to save lives.”

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