As the crisis in Ukraine heats up, many people are trying to find a way to go forward in the face of an uncertain future. It's being reported by CNN that NATO commanders are very worried about the situation.
NATO's military chief warned the world on Wednesday that Russian troops could begin moving on Ukraine within 12 hours of being given an order, amid fears that Moscow could seek to invade its eastern region.
Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe, also told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that with 40,000 troops massed near the border, Russia has all the components necessary to move on Ukraine.
With the sides at a stalemate, and Russia showing no signs of wavering, even though they have been admonished, and sanctioned, by the international community.
Franklin Graham knows the crisis is serious, but he also knows the power of God.
In a statement released earlier in the week, Graham called on believers to pray for the region. Most specifically the Christians caught up in the ordeal.
He reports that Christians on the ground in Ukraine are taking the crisis they have been given, and trying to use it to bless others, and hopefully lead some to Christ.
"Evangelical churches represent just a small minority of Ukraine's population, but they have stepped out courageously during this period of national uncertainty, ministering to people affected by the unrest and openly sharing the hope found only in Jesus Christ," he wrote. "Churches have set up prayer tents and crisis counseling centers in busy public places, sent Christians into the streets day and night to talk and pray with anxious people, and distributed as many as 5,000 New Testaments a day."
He said that across Ukraine, believers are finding a great response to their faith, and are running out of bibles to give to people desperate for hope.
"They have asked us to help them get more copies, and we want to do that quickly. You can give to help meet this need and get God's Word into more hands," he said.
Graham also ask Christians to pray earnestly for peace in Ukraine.
"When the protests were at their height a few weeks ago and the political crisis dramatically escalated, the nation's president fled the country, and Parliament turned to its speaker, an evangelical believer, to lead the country," Graham said. "Observers say Oleksandr Turchynov was chosen as interim president because, in a nation plagued by corruption and self-serving politicians, he stood out as a man of conviction and principle with a reputation for integrity. He is a man of godly character and a committed follower of Jesus Christ."
He said a fellow minister in the Ukraine, Viktor Hamm, was able to visit the new president in Kiev recently. While there Hamm prayed with Turchynov and the president asked the minister to get the word out, and to keep praying for peace.
In his statement, Graham also ask believers to pray for America. He points out that Easter is coming up and said he has big plans, and high hopes that people here will also find Christ during this time.
"The My Hope America program, The Cross, is being re-aired this Easter week on Christian networks including TBN and others. What a perfect opportunity to have unsaved family and friends watch it with you. You can then ask at the conclusion if they would like to know Jesus Christ personally by receiving Him as their Savior. I believe The Cross is one of the most powerful programs my father has ever done. It had a dramatic impact this last November, when millions watched it and over 100,000 people shared with us that they made decisions for Christ," he said.
You can find the program on many different cable networks between April 14 and May 4. Or you can watch it on YouTube or Netflix anytime, or download it from MyHopeWithBillyGraham.org. In addition, many churches will show the program on video during the Easter season.
