I’m not an alarmist when it comes to political events that occur on the world stage, but the attacks by Russia on Ukraine have certainly set off some alarm bells and may also be a needed wake-up call for the church. The world has not seen anything like this since World War II. Sure, we have had wars and “operations” and “conflicts” since then (i.e. Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and others), but we have not seen in our lifetime a direct invasion by a world superpower into the sovereign land of a neighboring country without provocation. At the time of this writing, the bombing has just started and the beginning movements and fighting between ground troops has begun. All across the internet we see the Ukrainian flag colors emblazoned with the words, “Pray for Ukraine”. But how do we “pray for Ukraine”? What should we be praying for? How do these events play into biblical prophecy? These are questions that come to mind for many as they watch the war unfold in real-time on their televisions and via the internet.

Before we can know how to pray, let’s take a minute to understand Russia’s role in biblical prophecy. While the United States is never mentioned in the Bible, we find that Russia has a key role in the end times. You won’t find the word “Russia” by doing a word search in your online Bible app, but you will find “Magog” which is the ancient name for the region known as Russia today. The end time prophecies that speak of Magog’s role are found in Ezekiel 38,39 and Revelation 20.. This country will be a key leader in the coalition of nations that will be assembled to oppose Jesus Christ at the battle of Armaggedon. If you are a born-again believer, you should have no fear of Armaggedon for Christ tells us that he will be calling us to be with him before the time of tribulation which culminates in this epic battle. But one thing we can know for sure – Russia isn’t going anywhere. It will still be around and a key player on the world stage at the end times.

We also need to understand something of Ukraine in order to know how to pray. They are the most “christianized” country in Eastern Europe. There is open-ness to share the gospel on the streets (as our missionary from Kyiv regularly does). The church is established and growing there. Freedom for the gospel to go forth unhindered is in jeopardy with the onslaught of this invasion.

1. Pray for Solace – I think this is more appropriate than praying for “peace”. Is an absence of war God’s will in this? I don’t think we can say for sure. Russia certainly has the willpower and weaponry to take Ukraine if God allows it. What we can say is that the Bible tells us that when you “shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled” (Matthew 24:6). Wars have come and gone for the past 2000 years and they are only going to continue to escalate as we approach the return of Christ. Instead of dwelling on world peace, Jesus tells us to have inner peace and solace despite the rumblings of war around us. We should be praying for inner solace for the believers in Ukraine as they face this conflict as well as for yourself as you combat the inner anxiety that will naturally arise from this. Isaiah 26:3 gives us the key to this inner peace that we need to seek.


2. Pray for Safety – There is no doubt that lives will be lost in this conflict. The fighting may not be on our soil and the casualties may not be immediate friends or family, but these are people for whom Christ died to save and some are our brothers and sisters in Christ. As Christians, scripture tells us to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) and praying for the safety of fellow believers is modeled by Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:8-11.


3. Pray for God’s Sovereignty – I realize that God is sovereign whether we pray about it or not. But no matter what happens, we must remember and claim the truth that God is still in control. We can trust that He has a plan that despite war, bloodshed, and lost lives, He can use it for His glory. Our limited minds can’t always comprehend His plan because God tells us “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). What we do know is that oftentimes crisis, conflict and war turn people’s hearts to the Lord and it is always God’s will that people be saved. As Paul put it to the church at Colosse, pray “that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ” (Colossians 4:3).