Sovereign God of justice and
peace, our hearts are broken once again by this week’s escalation of violence
in Gaza. Please bring about a just peace between the two sides. Lord, we mourn
everyone killed in the attacks, especially lamenting the loss of several
children. We cry out that the lives of these people, are not dispensable, but
are valuable beyond measure. We beg you, God, to calm the senseless storm of
violence, and move politicians to make real and diligent progress toward peace.
Lord, in your mercy...
As we mourn events in Gaza, we
also pray for general movement toward peace with regard to every aspect of the
conflict. Lord, would you work in the hearts and minds of Israeli politicians
and impress upon them the irrevocable harm which illegal settlement-building
causes to the work towards peace. May they recognize the need to stop all such
building. Lord may we all remember that our lives are bound up together as
members of one shared humanity, and may we never seek only our own interests,
but also those of our neighbors and of the whole world. Lord, in your mercy....
Father, in light of these needs,
please mold us into agents of peace and effective witnesses to the Gospel –
that we may love our neighbors in action and in truth. We pray specifically
that you would bless this week’s Sabeel programs and the U.S. women’s witness
visit led by Reverend Ann Franklin. Lord, in your mercy...
Lord, we look beyond the
struggles in our home region to other corners of the world that are suffering.
We specifically lift up the citizens of Guatemala and Myanmar, many of whom
were impacted by significant earthquakes last week, including terrifying
aftershocks that exacerbated damage and injuries. Lord would you heal the wounded,
provide emergency relief for victims, and comfort the families of the dozens
who lost their lives. Lord, in your mercy...
Finally, along with the World
Council of Churches, we pray in solidarity with the people of the Republic of
Congo, Gabon, and São Tomé e Príncipe. Lord, in your mercy...
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