Prayer #6: A Prayer of Heartbreak and Hope

Creator God,
We gather today to lift up our prayers of heartbreak and hope. 

              Creator God , hear our prayer.

God of love.  We witness with shattered hearts the intensifying military operations in Gaza, even as Israeli forces continue to blockade all humanitarian aid, announce further displacement of thousands, and prepare for an even more devastating military invasion. We also witness the spread of Israeli military assaults and settler violence on the people of the West Bank.  We cry out again, “How long, O Lord!”  How long must this violence and injustice continue?  

God of love, hear our prayer.

God of mercy.  We confess our silence as a genocide unfolds on our computers and TV screens. Forgive us when we turn away from the stories and the images that disturb our comfortable lives. Forgive us, when we grow weary of trying to understand and to respond. Forgive us our lack of courage for speaking out when we know we should. Forgive us when we forget those who suffer.

God of mercy, hear our prayer.

God of weakness. We hold up before you the victims of violence in Gaza, West Bank and also Israel.  We think of all those 60,000 plus Palestinian lives that have been cut short in the last 18 months. We think of the innocent children, women, and elderly who have been murdered. We think of the health care professionals targeted for seeking to care for the sick and injured, and the journalists targeted for seeking to convey the truth of what is happening. We remember those who are hungry and starving now. We remember all Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages.

God of weakness, hear our prayer.

God of power. We are filled with rage against those who perpetrate and support a genocide. We pray for them and for those who could act to stop the genocide, but who fail to do so.  We pray for the powerful -- that you convert their hearts, that you teach them compassion, that you convict them of their evil deeds. We pray that a global cry for justice and peace will rise up and turn the hearts of the powerful to those with little power.

God of power, hear our prayer.

God of justice. We weep at how warfare and militarism are destroying people and the planet. We lament that global military spending has reached $2.7 trillion dollars annually and that Canada has promised to increase its military spending dramatically. We lament that companies which build and market weapons are fuelling wars around the world and making millions while they do so.  We condemn the injustice, carnage and devastation that military might causes all life, all creation. 

God of justice, hear our prayer.

God of peace.  You show us another way. You teach us that violence and revenge and domination will not bring a sustainable security.  You show us that all people are your children, all part of the human family that you love and cherish. In the life and death and resurrection of your son Jesus, you demonstrate that security is found, not in military and structural violence, but in the practise of justice, in the nonviolent resolution of conflict, in the recognition that all people are created in your image. Grant us courage and conviction to witness to your way of peace.

God of peace, hear our prayer.

God of hope.  We confess that at times we succumb to hopelessness. We acknowledge that at times we wonder if our efforts for peace make any difference. At times we doubt your presence and your power to intervene. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may tune our eyes and ears to the sights and sounds of loving resistance, of courageous action, of compassionate caring – the signs that you are working in our world to bring forth your reign of justice and peace. Fill us with the hope that may inspire hope in those around us.

God of hope, hear our prayer.  Amen.

Prayer #5: A Prayer for Advocates

From  Sabeel’s “Holy Week with Gaza” Resource, March 2024.

Heavenly Father,

We come before You with grateful hearts for the courage and commitment of all who advocate for human rights and champion the cause of nonviolence. In a world marred by injustice and conflict, their dedication to peace and dignity for all Your children shines as a beacon of hope.

Bless, O Lord, these advocates with Your wisdom and strength, that they may continue their work with unwavering faith and relentless determination. Grant them the perseverance to face challenges and the compassion to serve those most in need.

Inspire us all, God, to follow their example, to raise our voices against oppression, and to work tirelessly for a world where justice prevails and peace reigns. Help us to remember the teachings of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who showed us the power of love and nonviolence in transforming hearts and societies.

We pray for those who suffer under the weight of injustice, that they may feel Your presence and find solace in Your love. May the efforts of human rights advocates’ bring forth change, offering them hope for a brighter future.

Guide us, Father, to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with You, knowing that every step taken in love brings Your kingdom closer. Unite us in Your mission of love, that together we may create a world that reflects Your glory, where every person is valued, and Your peace endures forever. Amen.

Prayer #4: A Prayer for Solidarity

From  Sabeel’s “Holy Week with Gaza” Resource, March 2024.

Heavenly Father,

We come before You today with heavy hearts, seeking Your guidance and wisdom in a world fraught with injustice and suffering. We pray for the people of Palestine, whose cries for freedom and dignity have echoed through the decades, often met with silence or indifference.

Lord, we ask You to move the hearts of those in the international community, that they may adopt a single standard of justice and human rights, applicable to all nations and peoples. Inspire leaders and policymakers worldwide to recognize the value of every human life, regardless of nationality, race, or creed, and to act with courage and integrity in defending those who are oppressed.

Grant us the strength to stand against the injustices faced by the Palestinian people. Help us to raise our voices in solidarity, advocating for their right to live in peace and security, free from occupation and discrimination. May our efforts contribute to a world where accountability is not selective, but universal, holding all nations to the same standards of humanity and compassion.

We pray for a future where the land known for its ancient stories of faith becomes a testament to Your love and justice, a place where all can live in harmony. Let us be instruments of Your peace, working tirelessly to bridge divides and heal wounds, in the name of justice and human dignity. In Your holy name, we pray, Amen

Prayer #3: A Prayer for Canada as War Rages in Gaza

By Byron Rempel-Burkholder, chairperson of Mennonite Church Canada Palestine-Israel Network, March 2024.

God of Justice, God of Peace: As a nation, we have been too slow, too silent, too uncaring in our response to the decades of occupation, siege, and war in the land we often call Holy.

Lord, have mercy.

Our official words proclaim opposition to land theft, settlement of stolen lands, and violation of human rights. Yet we have done little and said little when those injustices occur before our eyes.

Lord, have mercy.

uction, while stalling in our calls for a ceasefire and for robust adherence to international law.

Lord, have mercy.

Canada calls itself a steadfast friend and ally of powerful Israel, while giving only token support to Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, denied equality and justice.

Lord, have mercy.

God of grace and healing, you promise restoration for all who look to you for help. We give thanks for your Spirit, who turns our hearts from the ways of death to the ways of life.

Creator and sustainer of all people, defender of the weak and oppressed, move the hearts of our political leaders in Ottawa. May they be guided by moral principle rather than lust for power, driven by compassion rather than vengeance.

May they understand the deep roots of this conflict, and advocate for measures that heal the deep wounds of history.

Creator and lover of humanity, hear our prayer.

Grant our representatives the courage to be leaders in the pursuit of peace, rather than followers in the perpetuation of war.

May their hearts be broken by the plight of masses of innocent Palestinians who are displaced, deprived of food and medicine, and fearful of the future.  May they be touched by the fear and pain among Israeli and Palestinian families whose loved ones have died, or who remain captive in Gaza and in Israeli prisons.

Creator and lover of humanity, hear our prayer.

Grant our leaders wisdom in the pursuit of long-term measures that will bring justice, dignity and equality for all people living in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.

Whatever our political persuasion, whatever our ethnicity or religious identity, may we all be united in our pursuit of freedom, justice, and dignity for all who live on your beloved earth.

Creator and lover of humanity, hear our prayer.

Amen

Prayer #2: Prayer of Lament

By Byron Rempel-Burkholder, chairperson of Mennonite Church Canada Palestine-Israel Network, October 2023.

God of love and justice, our hearts are perplexed, paralyzed and broken at the recent carnage in Palestine and Israel. We lament the loss of life and the suffering of so many innocent people on both sides. We are shocked at the inhumanity of soldiers and militants.

Our prayers for peace seem to go unanswered. We wish you would intervene. We cling to your promise of a different world, but we see so few signs of its fulfillment. We do not understand.

Still, we continue to believe that you desire life and peace for all people. 

Holy Spirit, strengthen our resolve to advocate for peace, justice, equality, and compassion for all.   Don’t let us turn away.

Comfort all who are overwhelmed with loss—loss of life, loss of homes, loss of safety and security. 

God of the vulnerable and the oppressed, neutralize the power of those who thirst for domination and control. Renew the energy and creativity of those committed to nonviolent resistance and change. 

We pray for the Christian communities in the land where Jesus walked and where the church was born. May their witness to your love remain bright among their Muslim and Jewish neighbours. May they recognize your hand in their lives, even amidst the suffering. 

God of all nations, guide our own government to respond in ways that support the legitimate rights of all, especially those who are most vulnerable, those who continue to suffer after decades of occupation, dispossession, and denial of basic human rights and those who fear for their safety.

May your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Yours is the kingdom, the power, the glory, now and forever. 

Amen

Prayer #1: God who lifts our burdens

Adapted from a prayer by Lamma Mansour, Palestinian Christian and Ph.D. student in social policy at Oxford University, 2023.

God our Lord.  We come to you in this darkness, hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed, because we carry your Sumud (steadfastness) in our souls.

God of resurrection. Death is around. It lurks in the corner, threatens your loved ones, and the suffering feels unbearable and endless. In faith, albeit limping, we declare: You have defeated death. We believe. Help our unbelief.

God who knows sorrow and is acquainted with the deepest grief. Hold us near while we weep, embrace us while we mourn. Help us feel your tears blend with ours, our friend who sticks closer than a brother.

God who walks the land proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. Walk among the white body bags in Gaza, hug those leaning over them, crying for divine mercy. Sit with our children shaking with terror, covering their ears from the sound of bombs raining down. Wander the corridors of the hospitals, overwhelmed with the injured, strengthen the minds and bodies of our doctors struggling with grief and exhaustion.

God who lifts our burdens. Lift the rubble and rescue those underneath, with your might hand bring them from the edge of death back to life. Clear the air from the smell of burning, infuse our land with your fragrance of salvation.

We long for justice, we cry out for peace.

Lord in your mercy, break into this darkness with your light.