Evangelicals Pray For Ukraine As Rockets Take Toll

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Two groups representing more than 600 million evangelical Christians urged prayers for an end to the war in Ukraine as territories still controlled by Kyiv observed Ukraine’s Independence Day.

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) said they asked churches and believers to set aside some time for prayer amid more Russian strikes.

Worthy News monitored the appeal as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 15 people were killed and 50 wounded in a Russian rocket attack on a train station in central Ukraine.

The reported attack came both on Ukraine’s Independence Day and the day that the nation remembered that six months ago, Russia invaded Ukraine.

“On this day of independence, we want to declare our dependence on God, the One who can bring true peace to the hearts of each individual person, each family, and even entire peoples,” the WEA and EEA said.

The alliances noted that half a year of war has “caused a great loss, pain, and suffering.” They advised to “Pray for an end to the suffering” as over “the past six months, millions of Ukrainians have been displaced within their nation or fled abroad.”

Many families were “forced to separate from each other,” the WEA and EEA added.

THOUSANDS KILLED

“Thousands of soldiers on both sides have been killed, leaving tens of thousands of family members grief-stricken and wondering why their relatives had to lose their lives in a war they did not ask for. Let us pray for an end to the war, an end to the loss of life, an end to destruction and atrocities, and the beginning of healing,” the groups said.

They also asked for prayers for the global repercussions to cease. “The effects at the global level continue to be felt as millions of the world’s poorest people are threatened with starvation.”

Although there have been “some signs of hope with the recent agreement to allow grain export from Ukrainian ports, the situation remains a great concern,” the WEA and EEA stressed. “Let us pray that the grain can make its way to the places it is needed most so that the most vulnerable are not suffering further consequences of a war that may be half a world away.”

Additionally, they prayed for the response of the evangelical community to continue, including “sacrificial offering of goods, funds, prayers, and hospitality.”

Many evangelical Christians reportedly opened their own homes to those who fled Ukraine and people from Russia and Belarus who rejected the war and had to escape.

Yet the “needs remain great, so let us pray for the hospitality, solidarity, and support to continue,” the WEA and EEA wrote.

NO WEAPONS

“Pray that peace is not sought through weapons but prayers. As of now, there is still no end in sight for this war as the Russian government refuses to withdraw its forces and Ukraine must defend itself.”

On Wednesday, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his nation would deliver more weapons to Ukraine and train soldiers. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, had been reluctant to provide weapons recalling its role in World War Two.

Yet, “while the world may continue to look for weapons to bring about peace and justice by force, we know that true and lasting peace can only be accomplished through unceasing prayers,” the WEA and EEA argued.

“As we look to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, let us pray for hearts to be changed and for the weapons to be silenced. Throughout history, God has changed hopeless and dire situations in surprising ways, and He can do it once again.”

The WEA and EEA said they also asked churches and believers to “pray for healing and reconciliation, and that Russia and Ukraine could live in peace as independent, sovereign nations.”

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