"God has not abandoned us any more than he abandoned Job. He never abandons anyone on whom he has set his love; nor does Christ, the good shepherd, ever lose track of his sheep." - J. I. Packer
While reports of Hamas agreeing to terms of a ceasefire are being made, Israel pushes into Rafah with strikes taking control of the one crossing, stopping food aid. Rafah is where Palestinians had fled from other regions affected by heavy violence and reports of over 600,000 children are in that area. The WHO has declared that closing this crossing will make a catastrophic condition much worse. We who follow the cross-bearer pray:
Lord Jesus, our wounded healer, have mercy. We pray for ceasing of violence, for an accounting of sins, for a canceling of the debt all this violence owes and for turning from ways of destruction. We who are not experiencing these things are praying this knowing that we will never understand the choices having to be made here. Have mercy on the people in Rafah, have mercy on the hostages. Have mercy, Lord.
As Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of Christ, Ukrainian Orthodox are celebrating in the midst of a third year at war.
God, whose willing death defeats death, we pray for an end to the warfare in Ukraine. We pray again and again that your words of life will be what quenches the thirst for power and control. We pray for all those who are celebrating your resurrection who have lost families, livelihoods, homes to be comforted. Give hope to those who need hope, Lord of life.
Sunday, May 5 was Red Dress Day in Canada, a day to remember missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Thousands gathered across the country to pray and remember loved ones and community members and to demand change in the society that lets this happen.
We continue to pray for the women whose lives have been cut short and the reasons for the higher rate of violence against Indigenous women compared than the rest of the population.
Jesus, for the women who are missing, bring them home. For those whose lives were taken in violence, we pray for justice. We pray for the causes of this violence and for our countries general blindness to it to be rectified. Change us all from the inside out. Protect the vulnerable in communities by strengthening our ability to true community for one another.
For the families of the 4 women killed in Winnipeg, whose killer has pled guilty but not criminally responsible this week, we pray:
God of comfort, in this time where justice seems far off be a comfort to the families. Demonstrate your unconditional love and regard for them. May they know peace even in the midst of this trial. May your light reveal what needs to be revealed and may your Spirit transform what has to be transformed so this never happens again. Bring closure to families needing it, and when it is right, healing.
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If you're reading these prayers you know including justice in worship shouldn’t be reserved for special occasions. It should be part of our everyday worship routine. In this resource you will find prayers with introductions from Scripture to help us pray around the themes of love, justice, and reconciliation. Read more »
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