A special call to prayer:
Call to pray together for peace on 8 May It is becoming increasingly clear through more and more channels that Monday, 9 May, may well become a crucial date in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Particularly in Eastern Europe, there is a growing rumour that Russia’s President Putin will officially declare war on Ukraine. Not only Ukraine, but also other countries in that region such as Poland, fear that this will have major consequences and that Putin will definitively set in motion his plans to conquer much more of Europe. There is a growing realisation that not much is needed to trigger a new war with global impact.
Call to prayer Encouraged by the Word of God and by leaders with a global ministry of proclamation and prophecy, we believe that as followers of Jesus Christ, as the Church, we must move in unity and prayerfully ask God to intervene in this situation. The Bible teaches us in several places that the prayer and faithfulness of God’s servants has influenced the course of history. Therefore, we call on all believers of all churches, this Sunday, 8 May, preferably during the worship service, to pray together for peace and that God will intervene in this situation. Let us ask God together to move the heart of President Putin, as he has done so many times in biblical history with kings and Pharaohs, so that he will not declare war on 9 May.
Prayer and fasting in addition, we want to encourage, stimulate and support Christians to pray and fast together in the coming time – to continue to pray together for peace, not only in Ukraine, but in all those places in the world where there is currently unrest, discontent, revolt and war. In the coming days we will set up a website for this purpose. Prayer In February, when the war in Ukraine began, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote a prayer for the country and its people. We are happy to offer this prayer, supplemented for the specific point of this letter, as a suggestion for the prayer on Sunday. Of course, every church, congregation and believer is free to give their own content to this moment of prayer for peace.
Prayer for peace God of peace and justice, we pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia today. We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons. We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them. We pray for those with power over war or peace, for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions. We pray for President Putin, who plays such an important role in this conflict. Will you move his heart, as you did with princes and rulers in history. Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear, that you would hold and protect them. We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen
This letter was prepared in consultation with various leaders and organisations. For the sake of completeness and the short time to set this up, it was decided not to include names. Opwekking Netherlands
Let’s join in this worldwide prayer effort and encourage our churches to join us.
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team