The following prayer points were provided by Pastor Danny Jones. Danny recently returned to Arkansas from Slovakia where he served as a missionary for many years. His close relational proximity to the Russia-Ukraine conflict provides valuable insight for our prayers.
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!
Psalm 20:1-2
The situation in Ukraine and the fallout of what has happened there will be felt for many years to come. I would encourage prayer for Ukraine once a week for the next year. We will be tempted to forget about the urgency of this moment very quickly. Here are some ways to remember to pray and what to pray for.
- Whenever a news item from Ukraine is mentioned, immediately take a minute to pray for President Zelensky and the ruling government, who are living in exhaustion and self-preservation while they navigate a war and the running of a country.
- Pray that the leadership of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has a significant influence in the country, will call Ukrainians to Christ and the gospel.
- Pray for effective use of social media that results in the defeat of the invaders, encouragement of Ukrainians who have remained in the country, countering of destructive disinformation, protection of people from predators, and the spread of the gospel and help to those in need.
- Pray against those in human trafficking who are using this moments to captivate vulnerable people. Some of these people are posing as pastors on the borders where desperate women and children evacuate.
- Pray that Evangelical churches will be prepared to respond to the spiritual hunger that the war has created in the hearts of people. Evangelical churches are very denominationally divided and self-focused. Pray for a unity in this moment of spiritual harvest.
- Pray that Satan will not succeed in planting hatred and bitterness in the hearts of Ukrainian believers, resulting in an inability to live out the gospel in this moment.
- Pray for families that have been separated from each other due to the chaos of this situation. Children have been separated from parents, and husbands/fathers have been forced to stay and fight while their families have left the country.
- Pray for the neighboring countries of Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova that have been inundated with refugees. Pray for the governments of these countries as they scramble to create a sustainable response to the crisis.
- Pray for churches and believers in the neighboring countries that are caring for refugees. Pray that they will have the emotional/physical strength and the material resources as they take in family after family, week after week.
- Pray for traumatized Ukrainians that need counseling and emotional care. Pray that the churches will rise to this need and that they will have the resources they need to help.
- Pray for the missionaries and national workers that were serving in Ukraine, as they were forced to evacuate and in some cases leave everything behind. Pray for their emotional needs as they deal with the loss of friends and ministry partners and ministries in Ukraine.
- Pray that what Satan has meant for evil will become an amazing story of awakening, forgiveness, and revival across Ukraine.
- Pray for hurting and confused Russians that have been caught in the middle of this, whether as soldiers or the general population that is manipulated and lied to. Pray that they will have hope that God has not forgotten them in this moment and will cry out to him, resulting in an awakening in Russia.
