Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of Aug. 23, 2021
This week’s Kumi Now online gathering will focus on how Christian Zionism affects every-day life in Palestine. Next week’s Kumi Now on Tuesday, the 31st of August, will look at how Palestinian artists express their non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation.
- Lord, we pray that Palestinian artists will continue to use their creative gifts to find ways of engaging with the humanity of those who seek to oppress them. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
More than 2,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes when wildfires took hold of the wooded hills near Jerusalem on Sunday, the 15th of August. The Israeli fire brigade were joined by Palestinian firefighters and the Israeli Air Force to battle the flames and douse them with flame retardant. The fires were brought under control after burning for three days.
- Lord, we are thankful that these wildfires near Jerusalem did not cause any reported serious injuries or loss of life. We thank you for the courage of the firefighters and pray for those who have lost their homes and livelihoods. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
The Israeli authorities introduced new restrictions to curb Covid transmission on Wednesday, the 18th of August, after the highest daily infection numbers were reported since the start of the year. The new Delta variant has also caused infections to rise among Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, with several hundred cases of infection reported every day.
- Lord, we continue to pray for all those suffering from Covid-19. We pray too for those who are denied access to vaccines, due to lack of financial resources. We pray that the Israeli government will step up to its international responsibilities as an occupying power to provide rapid and equitable access to vaccines for Palestinians. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
On Monday, the 16th of August, four Palestinians were killed and a fifth was seriously injured when undercover Israeli soldiers attempted to detain a suspected militant. The incident took place in Jenin, in the northern West Bank, where tensions have been high after a Palestinian was killed by Israeli soldiers earlier in the month. There have been at least eight violent clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the past two months.
- Lord, we pray for your restraining hand over the serious spiral of violence now rife in the Occupied Territories. We pray for an end to the Israeli military occupation that is the main source of violence. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
According to Israel’s Peace Now organization, the Israeli government is set to start planning a new illegal settlement on the site of the former airport at Atarot, East Jerusalem. If the plan is accepted, in early December, it would deal a blow to any hopes for a two state solution as it would deny Palestine a capital in East Jerusalem. The plan to build a 9,000 housing unit settlement would effectively sever links between the Palestinian communities in Ramallah and East Jerusalem.
- Lord, we pray that international governments and human rights’ organizations would speak out against this new Israeli plan to further divide and contain Palestinian communities and surround them with yet another massive illegal settlement. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
For the life of Roni Rock- the child entertainer from Nazareth – who died recently.
- Lord, we give thanks for the life of Roni Rock who died recently. We thank you for the way he dedicated his life to writing songs and performing shows to bring joy and laughter into the lives of Palestinian children. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
The Yabous Cultural Centre hosted the Jerusalem Music Festival on Wednesday, the 11th of August. Palestinian musicians from different parts of the country came together to perform their music in a wide variety of styles.
- We thank you, Lord, for the skills of musicians who can make melodies and gladden hearts, even when our hearts are heavy and downcast. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
- We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.