“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
(Psalm 82:3,4)
We pray for families
torn apart by explosion
of missile or artillery round,
and those living in fear
of rocket launch or terrorist fire –
wherever they might be,
whoever they might be –
for they are united
in their adversity
and distress.
Bring comfort, peace
and refreshment
for those whose hearts are dry.
We pray for leaders
who have no regard
for the sanctity of human life
in pursuit of ideologies
or political ambition –
wherever they might be,
whoever they might be –
for they are united
in their arrogance
and wilfulness.
Bring wisdom, love
and repentance
for those whose hearts are cold.
For your love
is far greater than
the hatred of this world,
far greater than
the sorrows of this world.
Infuse this world with your love
and begin with us, we pray.
Amen
Grant us a willingness
to speak out for the weak
and vulnerable.
Grant us a readiness
to point out the corrupt
and indefensible.
When cries for justice
are met by violence,
tear gas and military response,
and lawlessness
only adds to the suffering
of local communities,
be the peace that speaks
into these situations,
the truth that calls for
repentance,
the love that demands
forgiveness,
and the healer
who brings wholeness
into broken lives
and neighbourhoods.
There is more to peace
than a temporary
cessation of hostility,
political solutions
cannot undo such
wilful disregard
for human life.
First must come
repentance,
forgiveness,
and finally, shalom.
God of grace,
work in hearts
torn apart by hate,
pour upon them
your healing balm of love;
bring wholeness,
restoration and hands
that reach out to embrace,
rather than cause more pain.
Bring your peace,
your shalom.
Amen.
One in eight, Lord,
will eat just less than enough
than their body requires
before they sleep tonight,
and every night.
One in eight, Lord,
will eat just less than enough
to feed body and mind,
and succumb to illnesses
they cannot fight.
One in eight, Lord,
will eat just less than enough.
As our plates are cleaned
and needs satisfied,
remind us, Lord.
For all young people
whose childhood
has been exchanged
for bonded slavery,
sweatshops or mines,
domestic servitude,
sex trade or crime,
we pray for liberty.
Give them a voice
that this world can hear,
a cry for justice
that will not be silenced,
until chains are broken,
and these, your children,
are finally set free.
We pray justice
for the falsely accused,
freedom for the wrongly imprisoned,
healing for the tortured or abused,
care for the orphan and widow,
concern for the refugee and dispossessed,
and above all forgiveness
for our emotional detachment.
May we weep as you weep,
love as you love,
and not be afraid to be angry
for the sake of your children,
wherever they might be.
In our helplessness we ask,
Lord, enfold them in your love.
When cries for justice
are met by violence,
tear gas and military response,
and lawlessness
only adds to the suffering
of local communities,
be the peace that speaks
into these situations,
the truth that calls for
repentance,
the love that demands
forgiveness,
and the healer
who brings wholeness
into broken lives
and neighbourhoods.
