Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret – it leads only to evil. Psalm 37:5, 7-8, NRSV
We have seen this week yet again how the “law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous – therefore judgement comes forth perverted” (Habakkuk 1:4). Despite another scathing ruling by a human rights tribunal, the Canadian government is failing to rectify funding disparities for the delivery of First Nation on-reserve child welfare services. High suicide rates and violence against women are common in First Nations and Inuit communities like those in Alaska, USA. Similar injustices appear among vulnerable communities in India, the Asian sub-continent, Africa, the Middle East and South America. Lord, have mercy. Change the hearts of the perpetrators of these injustices, and bring them to repentance. Open our eyes and hearts to cruelty so that we might fight for justice and peace.
We hear so much of the continuing disputes in politics and election processes throughout the world. We pray that truth may triumph over the slick, media-savvy noise of those with political leverage. We pray for discernment for all those who are about to exercise their hard-won right to vote. May the ears of the world be open to the message of those struggling for equity and calling for justice. Lord, hear the voiceless. May your way of truth and justice and life be available to all.
We give thanks for people like:
- Ten-year-old Zianna Oliphant, who rebuked authorities over police shootings in Charlotte, USA;
- Rami Adham, a Finnish-Syrian father-of-six, who takes toys, medicine, and food to the besieged in Syria and builds schools in refugee camps;
- Dr Ashwaq Muharram, who has used her own resources to provide food and medical aid to starving residents of Hudaydah, Yemen after international aid organisations withdrew from Yemen in 2015 and Saudi Arabia’s blockade tightens;
- Josh Coombes, a hairdresser in London, England, who has offered free services to the homeless for the past year and has inspired others to follow his example including barber Jamie Richards of Aberdare, Wales;
- Residents of Mureck, Austria, who set up a community garden project so locals, refugees, and migrants can get to know each other by planting roots together.
O God, you are our Creator, our Redeemer, our Saviour, and our Mother. Send your Spirit daily to empower us and fill us with grace. Whatever we may be facing, however overwhelmed we are, however angry and bitter over what we see as greed, injustice, hatred, fear, cruelty, and indifference, help us to commit our way to you, trust you, wait patiently for you, and know that, as we have seen repeatedly throughout history, you DO act, but in your own way and time. Lead us in YOUR way of peace, justice and love. Amen.
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