English 10-May-2018

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

May 10th, 2018

According to U.N. documentation there have been one hundred and fifty nine raids carried out by the Israeli military forces in the Occupied West Bank between March 27th and April 9th. Before dawn on Friday, March 30th, a Palestinian mother in Hebron was assaulted by Israeli soldiers as she tried to prevent them from detaining her son. As a result of this assault, she has a broken arm. In separate incidents on Monday, April 2nd, at least twenty Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces, including a father and a son, in dawn raids in the West Bank.

·         Dear God, we pray for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine and for an end to the fear and misery it engenders. We remember the Palestinians detained in Israeli military prisons and long for their release. Lord in your mercy… Hear our prayers      

On Saturday May 5th another Palestinian youth died of the injuries he suffered at the ‘Great March of Protest’ in Gaza. Azzam Uweida was only fifteen years old when he was shot by Israeli snipers using live ammunition.

·         Lord, we pray for all the Palestinian families that have lost loved ones in this protest, especially for the family of Azzam. We also pray for the recovery of those who have been injured by the Israeli army. Lord in your mercy…     

Friday May 4th, marked the sixth week of the ‘Great March of Return’ protest in Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians are demonstrating at the borders with Israel to call for the right of refugees to return to their homeland.

·         Lord, we continue to pray for the safety of those taking part in the non-violent protest. May their cries be heard and international pressure brought to bear to recognise the right of Palestinian refugees to return to the land which they were forced to leave. Lord in your mercy…    

Palestinians will be commemorating the Nakba on May 15th. This date reminds them of the catastrophe which began seventy years ago, in 1948 when five hundred and thirty Palestinian villages and towns were destroyed and over seven hundred and fifty thousand Palestinians were forcibly driven out of their homes. A whole generation of Palestinians have now been constrained to live out their lives as refugees.

·         Lord we cry out for mercy even as we mourn the injustices suffered by the Palestinian people. We pray that you will keep hope alive in the hearts of those who suffer. So many living in occupied territories and abroad  under very difficult circumstances need to come back home. We pray that Palestinians will persevere in their work for peace and that they will remain steadfast in the face of oppression. Lord in your mercy...

For many young Palestinians education is still a source of hope for a better future. This week, students across Palestine and Israel are finishing the school year and many students are sitting their final examinations.

·         God, please give students clarity of mind and confidence to do their best, despite the uncertainties which surround them, and may the summer holidays be a welcome rest for all the children. We pray especially for our high school students as they take important examinations .  May our young people never lose their vision for a future of freedom and peace. Lord, in your mercy…

The official opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem is scheduled for Monday, May 14th.  The ceremony will be attended by over a thousand dignitaries, among them two hundred and fifty Americans.

·         Lord you hear those who are distressed. We continue to pray for justice as we see the powerful conspiring against the Palestinians and denying them their human rights . May the powerful understand what makes for peace, the peace the city of Jerusalem desperately needs. We pray for the safety of people of dignity who will join the demonstrations calling for the observance of international law. Lord in your mercy…    

Israeli authorities demolished six housing units belonging to four small Palestinian communities in the South Hebron Hills. This demolition left families and children with no roof over their heads and no water to drink.

·         Lord, please help the Palestinian people to remain hopeful in the midst of hopelessness.  The drive to force them from their homeland appears to be relentless. We pray that those people around the world who care about peace and justice will continue to speak out against the Israeli occupation and the human rights violations perpetrated by the Israeli authorities. Lord in your mercy…   

·         We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Lord in your mercy…