Prayer #8: For the Ceasefire
Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
and righteousness in the fruitful field.
The effect of righteousness will be peace,
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.” Isaiah 32:17
God of peace, salaam, shalom,
We give you thanks and praise for a pause in the violence in Gaza. We rejoice at tentative steps toward a ceasefire.
We lift up our grateful thanks:
that the bullets and bombs, the shells and the mortars are being stilled after two years of horrific bloodshed and destruction.
that Israeli and Palestinian prisoners have been set free.
that deliveries of food, medicine and other necessities into Gaza are being resumed.
And we pray, O God,
that the tentative steps toward ceasefire become surer and stronger in the coming days, weeks and months.
that weapons be laid down and that the killing and the destruction truly cease.
that humanitarian aid flow abundantly to feed and clothe and shelter and heal the people of Gaza.
Yet even while we rejoice in this moment, we hold the grief of thousands of our Palestinian kin:
those whose loved ones have been killed.
whose bodies have been injured, permanently disabled and starved.
whose hearts and spirits have been profoundly traumatized.
whose homes have been destroyed or severely damaged.
whose livelihoods have been wiped out.
whose schools and universities, hospitals and offices have been turned to rubble.
We know that grieving and healing from the incalculable losses will take generations.
And so, O God, we pray:
that the broken and the grieving be comforted, supported and surrounded with care and compassion.
that grief and rage may not contribute to hatred and more violence.
that harmful and hateful ideologies that contribute to war be denounced.
We know that the so-called “conflict” between Palestinians and Israelis did not begin two years ago, but has unfolded over a century of Zionist expansion, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and genocide. We know that there can be no just and lasting peace without addressing the root causes of what we have witnessed these past two years.
And so, O God, we pray:
that the systems of oppression be laid bare and dismantled.
that the domination of one people by another be ended.
that leaders be held accountable for the harms and atrocities they have committed.
that the global community repent of and turn away from supporting genocide.
We also pray:
that a vision for equality, dignity, and peaceful co-existence may grow and flourish.
that a longing for security may be found in pursuing security for all.
that the practise of justice be the foundation for a lasting peace.
In the name of the peacemaking Jesus, we pray.
Amen.