Justice Prayers - January 5, 2022

We are too prone to engrave our trials in marble and write our blessings in sand.  - Charles Spurgeon 

Praying for Christians in the Middle East

American organization Churches for Middle East Peace are adding their voices to Middle East Christian leaders to petition for the sustainability and safety of Christians in the area.  We add our  voices in prayer:

Lord, who reveals love in place and in time,

We pray for the safety and security of Christians in the middle east.  We pray that their presence would bring peace to volatility. We pray that their practices and connections to the land would be safeguarded for the benefit of the entire region and all Your creatures that reside there.    

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act about to be passed

The US Congress is poised to pass a Uyghur forced labor prevention act, that would ban items manufactured using the forced labor of interned Uyghers in China from  the American market.  The Uyghur Muslim population in China has been targeted for re-education through internment and inhumane control methods.  

We pray that using these tools of the market and the globalized economy would benefit this group of humans who have been targeted for their faith, ethnicity.  We pray for increased awareness of, accountability for, and the abolition of any policies that have led to the dehumanizing practices used against the Uyghurs.  We pray the image of God in all these groups of people would be seen and held as sacred.    

Ottawa reaches a 40 billion agreement with First Nations Child Welfare agreement

The Canadian government and Indigenous leaders have struck a historic $40 billion agreement-in-principle to compensate young people harmed by Canada's child welfare system while reforming the system that tore Indigenous children from their communities for decades.

The non-binding agreement sets aside $20 billion for compensation and $20 billion for long-term reform of the on-reserve child welfare system.

We will continue to pray for that this agreement will come to fruition and bring compensation and real change to those who have been most aggrieved by unjust policies, assumptions and priorities.

Good Lord, 

 May this first step lead to restoration for these generations of children who have lived at the mercy of discriminatory, unequal and unjust systems.   May having the harm done acknowledged and restitution made, be a dignifying, healing element for the individuals and families most affected. May this pre-agreement lead to a binding agreement that leads to true shalom in our communities.  

A prayer for places of Sanctuary for those on the frontlines of justice 

Honduran female Land activists have the opportunity to receive sanctuary, respite and healing in female only houses (see here for more information).  These have been places to grieve and heal the traumas experienced in their work of defending land, culture and working for just policies .   There is much to learn and receive from houses of healing such as these and so we give thanks and praise that this is good work being done for the do-ers of justice around the world.  

Lord Jesus, you are the cornerstone for the houses of healing that we all need. We pray for vulnerable women, children, men who are on the front lines of all forms of justice to heal and be fed a diet of restoration, hope and belonging in places such as these.  We pray that these houses of healing continue in safety and joyful resistance to the forces that decimate and dehumanize, bearing witness to the ways you, Lord, are always restoring and redeeming the world.  

Becoming (part of) the Answer to our Own Prayers

Support Continued Safety for Afghan Evacuees

Join us in calling on Congress to pass an Afghan Adjustment Act and ensure a path to lawful permanent residence for Afghan evacuees.

Yellowhead Institute 

What did reconciliation look like in 2021?  This report from the Yellowhead Institute provides good insights into what happened and what is needed next.