Celebrated evangelical leader Franklin Graham has appealed for Sunday to be a day of prayer for the people of Ukraine and for an end to its “deadly conflict” with Russia.
“I would like to join others in calling for a special day of prayer for the people of Ukraine,” Rev. Graham wrote on Facebook early Sunday to his nearly 10 million followers.
“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,” Graham added.
People attend a prayer vigil at The Cathedral of the Holy Family in central London, on February 25, 2022 in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images)
“Let’s lift up in prayer those who are enduring these dark days filled with uncertainty, fear, hardship, loss, and suffering,” he continued. “May they know the comfort, presence, peace, and protection of God who is a ‘refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1).”
Prior to last week’s Russian invasion of Ukraine, Rev. Graham had sent out a message imploring prayers for Russian president Vladimir Putin, so that God might intervene to prevent the outbreak of war.
Ivan Pelekhach and wife Kornelia Panchuk pray during a service held by Reverend Simon Ckuj at St Andrew’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, Lidcombe on February 25, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
“Pray for President Putin today,” Graham wrote on Twitter on February 18. “This may sound like a strange request, but we need to pray that God would work in his heart so that war could be avoided at all cost.”
“May God give wisdom to the leaders involved in these talks & negotiations, as well as those advising them,” he wrote.
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