On 24 August Ukraine will celebrate its Independence Day, which this year marks 6 months of war in the country after the Russian invasion.

For this reason, the European and the World Evangelical Alliances (EEA and WEA) have issued a joint statement, calling on churches and believers around the world to take time on that day to “pray for an end to the war in 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”, says the joint statement.

Praying with children

They have also released a kids-friendly “simple guide” for families on “how to pray with your child in situations of war and conflict”.

It aims to “help your child find words and also deepen the compassion towards those who suffer the consequences of war”.

The guide presents 7 prayer requests for families and children. It calls to pray for protection; peaceful hearts; that people come closer to God; for peacemakers; peace; healing of the heart; and reconciliation.

Each request comes with a little explanation and a scripture related to the issue for which to pray.

Furthermore, they give examples of little prayers for each topic, to guide families on how they can do it.

A call for prayer

The EEA and the WEA recall that “on February 24, the unimaginable happened: Russian troops crossed the border, launching a full-on attack on Ukraine […] that has caused great loss, pain and suffering”.

In their joint statement, they also suggest several reasons to pray on Ukraine's independence day.

First, they ask to “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 6 months of war have brought poverty and hunger to many, both outside and inside Ukraine, so the alliances also encourage to pray for “the global repercussions to cease”.

The statement points out that the response of the evangelical community “from near and far” has been “heartening”, so that, it calls to pray that it will continue.

Finally, they stress that real peace can only be achieved “through unceasing prayers” for hearts to be changed for healing and for reconciliation, and that Russia and Ukraine could live in peace as independent, sovereign nations.

You can see the full guide to pray with children here, and the EEA/WEA statement here.