Prayer For Palestine And Israel
Lord God, we turn to you in these trying hours when
conflict is a daily reality for our sisters and brothers
in Israel and Palestine. We promise you to work to our
utmost for peace and reconciliation in the region. But we
know we cannot do it alone. We very much need the strength
of your presence in our midst if we are to overcome the
obstacles before us. So our prayer at this moment is that
you add your support to our efforts, that you show yourself
as a tower of strength in those moments when the barriers
seem impassable. Together we can become beacons of hope
for just and peaceful societies in the land so very dear
to the peoples of your covenant. Amen.
God of mercy and compassion,
of grace and reconciliation,
pour your power upon all your children in the Middle East:
Jews, Muslims and Christians,
Palestinians and Israelis.
Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to hope,
oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation,
that violent encounters may be replaced by loving embraces,
and peace and justice could be experienced by all. Amen.
Sustain together in undiminished hope, O God of hope,
those who continue to labor with undiminished determination
to build peace in the land from which, of old,
out of brokenness, violence and destruction,
nevertheless hope emerged for so many of faith. . . .
Bless all the spiritual seed of Abraham together
with the light of your Presence.
For in the light of your Presence
we have found a way of justice and mercy
and a vision of Peace.
We praise you O God, Giver of Peace,
who commands us to Peace. Amen
We praise you, the Lord God of Israel! You came to the help of your people and have set them free.
You have shown the mercy promised to our ancestors and have remembered your holy covenant.
By your tender mercy you cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us,
To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Amen
Living God, today we pray for all the people in Israel/Palestine,
that they may discover the courage and humility to build peace
together and that they will seek a just path of reconciliation.
For our Muslim brothers and sisters in Israel/Palestine this day,
we pray Assalamu Alaikum.
For our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel/Palestine this day,
we pray Shalom Aleichem.
For our Christian brothers and sisters in Israel/Palestine, this
day, we pray The Peace of Christ. Amen.
Lord Jesus, the occupation of the West Bank can seem a pretty hopeless situation; we see stalemate caused by the absence of a peace process, dysfunctional Palestinian politics, the strength of the Israeli army, the physical presence of the separation barrier. But you too lived in this place when it was under occupation and you inspired hope and taught the ways of justice and peace. May true peace be found in this Holy Land, with Israelis and Palestinians understanding each other's needs. Jesus, you are the first and the last: help us to trust in you. Amen.
Heal us all, O God.
Heal the broken and comfort the sorrowful.
Give hope to the hopeless and courage to the fearful.
Strengthen the peacemakers and reconcilers.
Confront those who practice injustice and commit violence.
We especially pray
That weapons of war be laid down
That walls of separation and the machinery of occupation be dismantled
That prisoners be released
That demonizing of the other cease
That political leaders seek the good of all people in Palestine and Israel.
We pray also for ourselves
That our eyes will be opened to the ways in which our beliefs and actions have contributed to injustice and to violence.
O God, whose heart breaks for the world,
May your justice dwell in the land
May your righteousness abide in fruitful fields
May the effect of righteousness be quietness and trust forever
May the effect of justice be peace enduring peace.
Amen
O God of life and love and peace,
We witness the violence and injustice in your Holy Land
And our hearts break.
Our hearts break for all Palestinians
For the victims of violent attacks from Israelis
For those who have endured decades of occupation and oppression
For those whose homes and olive orchards have been demolished
For those who languish in Israeli prisons and in the open air prison of Gaza
For those without nearly enough water and electricity and medical care
For those who are refugees, long displaced from their homes.
Our hearts break for the Jewish people of Israel
For the victims of violent attacks from Palestinians
For those who live with fear and insecurity
For those who re-live the trauma of the Holocaust over and over. Amen