Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. - Psalm 116:7-9
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to deploy about 150 federal agents to Chicago this week. Claiming to be assisting local law enforcement, it still hasn't been made clear the chain of command they would fall under. Federal agents have this week been arresting protestors in Portland, Oregon using unmarked vehicles to grab and detain them. Local leaders like Portland’s mayor and the governor of Oregon have opposed the federal presence, believing it has heightened tensions instead of helping bring peace. The President is also considering sending more officers to Baltimore, Detroit, New York, Oakland, and Philadelphia despite there being no major reports of violent protests there.
God, we pray for decisions which bring about peace and flourishing. We pray for the safety of those who are protesting. We pray that government power, everywhere in the world, would be used for the people’s good.
India passed 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases Friday, after its health ministry reported a record 34,956 new infections in just 24 hours. As India becomes the third nation after the United States and Brazil to hit that milestone, it is the country's marginalized who are suffering the most from the devastating economic toll of lockdowns and job losses. Across India, critically ill virus patients are being turned away from public and private hospitals for lack of beds, staff and equipment, as healthcare systems buckle under the pressure of the escalating pandemic.
We lift in prayer the million people in India who are sick with this virus. We pray that they might get the care and resources they need to be able to recover. We pray for all that is lost when so many are sick, for the economic impact on individuals and communities, for the grieving and fear people experience. We pray for the spread of this virus -- in India and around the world -- to slow.
From Boston to San Francisco, essential workers in cities around the U.S. walked off their jobs and took to the streets Monday to demand racial and economic justice as part of a nationwide "Strike for Black Lives." The planned day of strikes and protests was organized by 60 different labor unions and racial and social justice organizations. Organizers listed four primary demands on their website: "Justice for Black communities, that elected officials use their authority to rewrite the rules so that Black people can thrive, that corporations dismantle racism, white supremacy and economic exploitation including at work and that every worker has the opportunity to join a union."
God, we pray for justice for Black communities. We pray for economic and social thriving, and for a change to the systems and structures that prevent that. As the struggle for Black dignity and equality continues, generation after generation, we pray for courage, hope, and joy. We pray for change.
Turkish rescue teams have retrieved the bodies of 60 migrants after their boat sank in a lake in the east of the country in one of the worst disasters involving migrants in Turkey in recent years. The boat capsized late at night on June 27 with as many as 80 people on board, and the confirmed death toll has climbed steadily since then. At least two children were reported to be among the dead.
The accident occurred on Lake Van, a large inland lake in eastern Turkey, near the border with Iran. The migrants were crossing the lake on a fishing boat in an apparent attempt to avoid police checkpoints on the highways, on their journey toward western Turkey.
For those who are fleeing desperate situations, during a global pandemic, hoping for a chance to survive and begin again, we offer our prayers. Bring hope, Lord. Bring the possibility of a home. Bring helpers and bring the face of Christ. Among those who grieve these deaths, bring comfort. And among leaders who decide who may be at home and who may not, bring wisdom.
Following the elections last year, the government made a commitment to pursue legislation to implement the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the end of 2020. As a Christian who is called to seek reconciliation and justice, express your support for that commitment and encourage legislation that is built on the floor of Bill C-262. Advocate with us today!
This video series address common misconceptions about the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and why implementing the Declaration is so important. Check it out today!
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