"He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish." - John 21:6
Refugees from South Sudan’s civil war who had been living in Sudan have now been forced to move back to their unsafe homes. We pray for the tenuous living conditions for those most affected by conflict and struggles for power.
Lord while many don’t know what it is to flee violence, you do. We pray for the children and their mothers and fathers who have not been able to live in peace. We pray that they would know you walk with them. Move those engaging in conflict to peace for the sake of your children in Sudan. May the global church aid, advocate for and pray with them without ceasing.
Almost 30,000 people have been evacuated in Alberta due to out of control wildfires hitting much earlier than usual.
For all those who have left their homes and livelihoods in precarious circumstances, at the whims of weather and wind, we pray for peace. We pray for wise deployment of resources to fight the flames and for the physical safety and mental health of the firefighters.
As we continue to live through the consequences of inaction on climate change, may we know your mercy, forgiveness and restoration.
There was another gun massacre, fueled by far-right extremism killed 8, including children, in a shopping mall in Texas. In one family of four, the two parents and a sibling were murdered leaving a 6 year old survivor. This is the 201st mass shooting in America in 2023.
Lord, we don’t know what we need to do to change things. Your word says faith without works is dead and yet the will to work a real change is lacking. Is our faith dead? We need your intervention in minds, hearts to enact policy that will legislate access to weapons of war, address the mental health education and supports and work to counteract radicalization into extremism that is still happening. Help us Lord, for the sake of your creation gunned down while out with their families.
Iowa has passed a child labor bill which would roll back regulations on children and teens in the workforce. There have been similar bills in Arkansas, Minnesota and Missouri. Teens under 16 can work more hours and at 16 years old can work the same hours as adults. Teens can serve alcohol if other adults are present and work in previously prohibited spaces like industrial laundry and meat coolers. We pray for wisdom from leaders and protection for the children.
Father, help our leaders and policy makers apply wisdom to their constituency’s economic and jobs needs. We pray for how this will affect young people and families who need children to work to pay the bills. We pray for protection of youth serving alcohol and working long hours. We pray for a generosity of provision in the communities these rollbacks affect.
Do you want to grow in your reconciliation journey in a robust and appreciative way? Hearts Exchanged is now recruiting participants from across Canada to be join other Reformed Christians in this learning and action journey. Find out more and express your interest here.
We are excited to welcome members of the CRC from across Canada to the Canadian National Gathering in May. Your church can be part of preparing and praying for participants.
The Reformed family is a diverse family with a diverse range of opinions. Not all perspectives expressed on the blog represent the official positions of the Christian Reformed Church. Learn more about this blog, Reformed doctrines, and our diversity policy on our About page.
In order to steward ministry shares well, commenting isn’t available on Do Justice itself because we engage with comments and dialogue in other spaces. To comment on this post, please visit the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue’s Facebook page (for Canada-specific articles) or the Office of Social Justice’s Facebook page. Alternatively, please email us. We want to hear from you!
Read more about our comment policy.