By Michael C. Mack
As I follow Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine on cable news, social media, and through Christian Standard’s own reporting, I am heartbroken for the Ukrainian people. I also go through cycles of frustration, helplessness, and righteous anger, among other emotions.
Several of the articles we’ve published on our website over the last week and a half have ended with the question, “What can we do?” That’s an important question, because it’s not enough for us merely to passively watch and talk about the situation, change our social media profile picture to a Ukrainian flag, and idolize President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people.
We are called as Christ followers to be people of action. And the first action we must always take is to put this situation in God’s hands through prayer and fasting. We may take other actions after that, but prayer is always the first step.
On March 1, I joined IDES’s “31 Days of Prayer and Fasting” as one commitment to pray. Each day I receive an email from IDES with prayer points to cover for Ukraine that day. Additionally, IDES encourages fasting every Monday during March. As the IDES web page says,
Your fast can be tailored to your needs. You can skip one meal or all your meals that day or you can lay aside specific foods. Or, maybe you don’t fast from food at all, but instead fast from social media, TV, technology, or anything else that is significant to you in order to focus more attentively on interceding for the country of Ukraine.
I encourage you to join me and many others. Simply go to IDES’s “Prayer and Fasting” web page and sign up with your name and email address. It’s not too late.
Of course, you can do more beyond prayer and fasting. Read our news articles about Ukraine for ideas:
UKRAINE: How Should We Respond?
UKRAINE: Christian Church Ministries Respond to Russian Invasion
UKRAINE: What You Need to Know About Ukrainians and Russians
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