'The Only Hope Is God': Franklin Graham Shares Easter Message From Ukraine

The faith leader addressed the public in Ukraine, urging them to pray for the Russian president's heart to turn away from sin amidst the war.

Samaritan's Purse CEO Franklin Graham on the Easter weekend shared a compelling message for people all over the world regardless of faith amidst times of global turmoil. The President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, who traveled to Ukraine to report on the crisis amid the war, said that prayers are needed not only for the Ukrainian people, but also for Russian President Vladimir Putin, to help turn his heart from sin.

"The problem we have in the world today is a sin problem. People have turned their back on God," Graham said during an interview with Fox News. "The only hope is God. That's the only hope. Only God can turn [our] nation around."

The Samaritan's Purse CEO shared, "I pray that people will look to God, pray to him and ask him for his help in all that we do - and that he'll bless the nation. But to do that, we've got to repent, turn from our sins and believe on the name of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ."

Graham remarked that a lot of people today are merely paying "lip service" to God, meaning that while they agree that prayers are needed, they actually don't pray. But he reassured those who do know how to pray and are continuing to pray, "God hears those prayers."

The Samaritan's Purse CEO also noted that people "don't have to be 100% praying" all the time, but that prayer is important because God would "use those prayers possibly to turn this nation around." He hoped that the U.S. would finally recognize the global problems it is facing and realize that "the only hope is God."

Graham relayed how he saw billboards in Ukraine that said "Our only hope is God" and added that such billboards are needed in the U.S. too. The Samaritan's Purse CEO has been on the ground in Ukraine after it was brutally attacked and invaded by Russian forces on February 24. Since then, Samaritan's Purse has set up and operated six medical sites, specifically one emergency field hospital and five clinics, all across Ukraine.

In March, Samaritan's Purse vice president of operations Edward Graham reported to Newsmax that the emergency field hospital the Christian relief organization set up in western Ukraine near the border with Poland has been attending to refugees who he described as "exhausted" and "hungry," and those who were injured from "running and getting away from the bombs."

Samaritan's Purse has led teams of doctors and nurses to treat more than 5,000 patients since it set up medical sites in Ukraine. It has also airlifted over 232 tons of emergency relief supplies on eight airlift missions. Graham added that the Christian relief organization is also working with a network of over 3,200 churches to provide medicine and food to the Ukrainian people. The organization reported that they have provided over 165 tons of food to churches in Ukraine and Moldova that are helping those who have been affected by the Russian invasion.