Praying for Ukraine and our world
The whole world looks on in anxious anticipation as Russia’s military forces invade the Ukraine. Our hearts are broken as we continue to receive the horrifying footage of warfare—of cities in ruin, families fleeing for their lives and casualties on both sides. Some of us may be worried about our loved ones in Ukraine, who as we speak face the very real threat of death as missiles fly overhead. Separated by distance, we may feel a sense of helplessness as these events transpire out of our reach, but as Christians, God has given us the most powerful war tactic—prayer.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12
During perilous times such as these, most of the world looks to our world leaders and government bodies for solutions but as Christians, we know that our help comes from the Lord. The battle is not ours to fight, but it belongs to God who has already won the victory in Christ Jesus. As children of God, we can hold onto the wonderful promise that one day, all the brokenness of this fallen world will cease to exist and there will no longer be war, suffering or sadness anymore. But until that glorious day of Jesus’ return, we Christians are engaged in a spiritual fight, not against flesh and blood but against evil powers and principalities in the heavenly places. Our best defense against the evil in this world is not by picking up a gun and fighting on the frontlines but by falling on our knees to pray.
The prayers of the righteous are powerful and they are effective. We don’t pray to a merciless or powerless God who is out of sight and out of reach. We pray to the Lord Almighty, the maker of Heaven and Earth and the One who is sovereign and holds the whole world in His hand. While we may not always understand why evil things like war must take place, we can be confident knowing that our God sees us, He is with us, He hears our cries for help and He is faithful to provide us with exactly what we need when we need it most. While your heart may be restless today and heavy with worry, sadness or even anger over what is transpiring, remember that we have a loving God who is more than able to give hope to the hopeless, peace to the restless and joy to the brokenhearted.
Fellow believers, let us fight the good fight and stand united against the forces of evil as we remain patient in the time of trouble, hold fast to our hope in the Lord Jesus and faithfully pray for Ukraine and the rest of our world. Pray for God’s justice and glory to reign over our entire world. Pray for God’s supernatural protection and comfort over the innocent, our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Ukraine and everyone touched by this war. Pray for wisdom and discernment for our world leaders and for hardened hearts to be turned to God. Pray that the Gospel would go out and that Jesus would be made known to the nations. Pray for peace and for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
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