This week's prayers address the new escalation in Gaza, the suffering and violence there, and the harm that the building of settlements brings to the work toward peace. Please join us in prayer at 12:00 noon in your time zone, or whenever you are in your time of prayer and meditation.
Sabeel Wave of Prayer
Wave of Prayer for Thursday, November 15, 2012
Sovereign God of justice and peace, our hearts are broken once again by this week's escalation of violence in Gaza. Please bring about a just peace between the two sides. Lord, we mourn everyone killed in the attacks, especially lamenting the loss of several children. We cry out that the lives of these people, are not dispensable, but are valuable beyond measure. We beg you, God, to calm the senseless storm of violence, and move politicians to make real and diligent progress toward peace. Lord, in your mercy...
As we mourn events in Gaza, we also pray for general movement toward peace with regard to every aspect of the conflict. Lord, would you work in the hearts and minds of Israeli politicians and impress upon them the irrevocable harm which illegal settlement-building causes to the work towards peace. May they recognize the need to stop all such building. Lord may we all remember that our lives are bound up together as members of one shared humanity, and may we never seek only our own interests, but also those of our neighbors and of the whole world. Lord, in your mercy....
Father, in light of these needs, please mold us into agents of peace and effective witnesses to the Gospel - that we may love our neighbors in action and in truth. We pray specifically that you would bless this week's Sabeel programs and the U.S. women's witness visit led by Reverend Ann Franklin. Lord, in your mercy...
Lord, we look beyond the struggles in our home region to other corners of the world that are suffering. We specifically lift up the citizens of Guatemala and Myanmar, many of whom were impacted by significant earthquakes last week, including terrifying aftershocks that exacerbated damage and injuries. Lord would you heal the wounded, provide emergency relief for victims, and comfort the families of the dozens who lost their lives. Lord, in your mercy...
Finally, along with the World Council of Churches, we pray in solidarity with the people of the Republic of Congo, Gabon, and São Tomé e Príncipe. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Following the 2006 Sabeel International Conference, the Friends of Sabeel coordinators met and discussed the idea of "Waves of Prayer." The premise is that in their respective time zones, individuals and groups around the world will pray together at 12:00 on Thursdays, in solidarity with Sabeel in Jerusalem and with "Friends of Sabeel" worldwide. Starting in the Pacific Islands, passing through Asia, Africa, Palestine, Europe, the Americas and on around the globe, we pray for peace with justice. Each Thursday at noon in Jerusalem, Sabeel holds a Communion service that is open to the community. It is a time to join together to discuss how the scriptures apply to our lives today, to pray for the needs of this region and our world and to share the Eucharist.
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