Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Shipwreck

Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Shipwreck

Weekly prayer from Sabeel in #Jerusalem

Wave of Prayer: This prayer ministry enables local and international friends of Sabeel to pray over regional concerns on a weekly basis. Sent to Sabeel’s network of supporters, the prayer is used in services around the world and during Sabeel’s Thursday Communion service; as each community in its respective time zone lifts these concerns in prayer at noon every Thursday, this “wave of prayer” washes over the world.

Recently the world witnessed the worst shipwreck in years as at least 500 migrants from Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Sudan drowned in the seas near Malta.  According to the UN Refugee Agency, in 2014 over 2,500 people, including many children, have perished while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe through dangerous waters on inadequate vessels. Lord, the impoverished and oppressed people of these lands are desperate; provide them with the means to live in their homelands and safe refuge from the economic and political injustices they face.  Lord in your mercy…

God of peace, this week Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presents his new political strategy to the UN General Assembly, asking the UN Security Council for a binding resolution and a specific date for ending Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank, Gaza strip, and East Jerusalem.  Lord, give world leaders the courage to resolve this conflict as the people of Palestine have waited through failed negotiations, unsuccessful strategies, and lack of human rights for far too long.  Lord in your mercy…

Lord, we join with participants of the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel (WWPPI) as they pray, educate, and stand in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners unjustly detained in Israeli prisons.  We lift our gratitude for the many people and organizations involved in this important initiative as nearly every family in Palestine has been directly or indirectly affected by Israel’s arbitrary and illegal detention of Palestinians.  Lord in your mercy…

Lord, we ask for your continued blessing on Sabeel as we begin a busy period of programs, including a youth meeting in Nazareth, a retreat in Bethlehem for clergy and their spouses, a group visit to Sabeel, and a young adult program about the challenges of Christians in the Middle East.  Lord in your mercy…  

We pray alongside the World Council of Churches for the countries of Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine.  Lord in your mercy…