Afghanistan – Page 4

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, July 23, 2015

Do we believe we are made in the image of God, or is our God made in our very finite image?” –Rhoda C. Martin

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!” (Eph 3: 20 – 21 The Message)

“Give your gift, whatever it is, great or small – God will bless and use it…” Anon.

God, creator of us all, who breathed life into each one of us, forgive us when our narrowness of understanding of you and your heart leads to our spreading hatred, abuse and negativity about people who are our brothers and sisters. As Jesus suffered and died from this outpouring, so others die today throughout the world.

We grieve and remember the homosexual men murdered by ISIL and others for their sexual orientation, the women and children abused by men who think they count for nothing, and others in positions of influence and power such as in the United Kingdom, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Chile, and so many other countries who prevent the perpetrators from being held accountable. We pray for honesty and openness where all such events are being investigated.

Lord, bring justice for the oppressed and change the hearts of the oppressors.

As Jesus gave thanks and taught us to follow his example, we offer our gratitude for those who continue to respond to the needs of those–often our neighbors–who lack food and basic provisions. We give thanks for the many throughout the world still helping those in Nepal and other areas of natural disaster to rebuild homes and schools, planting crops for food. Often this starts from one or two in local communities setting up small fund-raising projects and, in turn, inspiring others to look outwards and join in.

Lord, give us eyes to see how much we have to be thankful for.

Remembering how Jesus, Mary and Joseph fled for their lives and became refugees, we give thanks for those who, despite terrible strain and difficulties, continue welcoming the homeless, stateless and refugees. Strengthen these fleeing from danger and violence or from economic deprivation and the lack of basic clean water and sanitation. When we take going to our place of worship for granted, remind us that for so many, it could cost them their lives.

Lord, help us to be compassionate and caring for the vulnerable and weak. Grow us to be passionate about tackling the issues which force so many to flee their homes.

Lord, help us to remember we, small as we are as individuals, are made to live in community with each other and you and to be channels of your love, grace and power. Help us not to be afraid of the endless possibilities living our lives open to your grace entails, and instead of wanting to fix everything according to our own understanding, help us to be whom You want us and have created us to be, thereby enabling the transforming power of your Spirit to flow through us into your world. Lord, let there be light, love and peace rather than darkness, hatred and violence. In your name we ask it, Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thurs., July 16, 2015

“Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”

-Psalm 46:10 (NRSV)

In the midst of the tasks of life, the busy-ness, the rush, the never-ending to-do lists, it is easy to lose sight of you, O God. Still us now, so that we may hear your voice. Calm the storms in our lives so that we may see your kingdom, even as it slowly creeps through the cracks and crevices of our lives.

Help us to know that you are God:

even as four United States Marines were killed on US soil, and as countless others lost their lives around the world, never to make headlines
as peace talks in Afghanistan gain the support of Taliban leader Mullah Omar
even as at least 33 people have been killed in on-going terror attacks in Nigeria
as officials in France were able to thwart an alleged terror plot
as Iran and the US have come to a historic agreement, signaling the hope for a peaceful future

In our stillness we seek to understand where you are working, Divine Trinity. We long to see you exalted in our nations, and in the earth. Until that day, we rest in knowing that you are God. And we wait, and we watch. We wait, and we watch until the dawn of your kingdom…

Amen

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, April 30, 2015

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
– Romans 12: 12

I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I
will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.
-1 Cor 14: 14 – 16

Pray continually
– 1 Thessalonians 5: 17

Prayer Tree
Prayer gives us rootedness,
Reaching out …
Discovering in darkness
Sources of nourishment;
Pushing with patient insistence
Against obstacles;
Drawing from strange places
Strength for life that
Grows in light;
Holding us as we bend,
And when we break, offering
Hope, that from the
Unimaginable dark,
New shoots will spring.

Ann Lewin in “Watching for the Kingfisher” (2009)

And so we pray for

the thousands in Nepal, India, and Afghanistan struggling to deal with the devastating aftermath of the massive earthquake with more anticipated
the continuing exodus pf peoples from the Middle East and North and Sub-Saharan Africa who face violence, hunger, disease and loss of life as they seek refuge
the unresolved hostility and violence between police and black/ minority groups in the USA, especially in Baltimore following riots protesting the violent death of Freddie Gray within an hour of his arrest
the continuing drug war in Mexico, giving thanks that drug-related murders are significantly down for the third year in a row, well as news of the largest seizure in British history of 3 tons of cocaine off the shores of Scotland with 9 Turkish men arrested
Malala Yousafzai and her work promoting education for girls and women and 10 men jailed for life in Pakistan after attempting to murder her in 2012
Thousands having to evacuate their homes and farms after Chile’s Calbuco volcano erupts again, even as the forecast of heavy rain threaten more destruction through mudslides.

We give thanks for

The eradication of Rubella (German Measles) from North and South America – the first region of the world to achieve this – who have reported no home-grown cases for 5 years.
The fun and joy of thousands of percussionists of all ages gathered in Peru to break the Guinness World Record for playing the cajon
The progress Mark Jacobsen and others have made at Stanford, USA to devise quiet, small, light weight drones capable of flying up to 100 km to drop 1 or 2 kg of food or medicines to places beyond human help in Syria.
The 460 Nigerian captives rescued from Boko Haram camps, while still praying for the 300 schoolgirls who are still missing.
The massive 50% reduction in child and maternal mortality rates in Rwanda over the last 15 years despite its poverty and unstable political climate

Lord, teach us to pray with our spirit, our understanding, our soul, our mind and the way we live so that “your will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.” AMEN

World News This Week in Prayer- Thursday, April 9, 2015

Loving God,

we pray for the opportunity to join you in the work of creation. The Bible declares that creation occurred first with light, when the world was full of emptiness and disorder. We look around and see disorder of our own time:

in the United States, we are shocked by the cell phone recording of a white policeman gunning down a fleeing black man, especially when we compare it to the reports which the officer and others filed. We had hoped we could trust the agencies of law enforcement.

in Afghanistan, someone dressed as a soldier (was he a soldier?) shot and killed one and wounded others, this incident occurring shortly after a significant diplomatic visit. What was the purpose? Who was the real target?

in Kenya, widespread grief follows the murderous attack on Christians at Garissa University. When did religious identity become a way to identify victims instead of unifying your children?

All these events and many others empty our families, our societies, ourselves, and our world. Our need to join in the work of creation is all too evident.

But hovering in concern over all that needed to be filled and brought in order, you first created light. Even today light is still being created. We see light, light that we pray that together with you, we may call “good”:

in the possibility that the discussion and diplomacy may replace war and war profiteering in Iran and throughout the Middle East.

in robust conversations in public and private spheres in the United States undertaken in the hope that a larger justice, a more loving kindness, and a deeper humility may inform the entire nation.

in Cuba and the United States as they continue to plan steps of rapprochement in upcoming meetings in Panama.

We pray for light in our hearts and minds. We pray for light to see our way into a future that has less discrimination, less poverty, and less injustice.

The light of resurrection stirs Christians in this Easter season. The light of Passover liberation inspires Jews. The light of possibility shines for all your children throughout the world, dear God. Give us strength to follow the light as it leads us forward. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, February 26, 2015

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” – John 14:2-4 (NRSV)

God of all places, God of all times,
we come to you today,
travelers in your world.

Sometimes we are far from home,
strangers in a strange land,
mystified by the myriad of new sights, sounds, smells and experiences.

And we realize that we are always traveling,
experiencing this world, which is not our home,
with all its sights and sounds and wonders.

We continue to journey, explore, enjoy,
and yet,
we long for our home with you, God.

We are thankful, Gracious One,
that you do not leave us alone, abandoned, forsaken.
Rather you walk with us, on the mountaintops and in the valleys.

We are thankful for stories of hope, like:

a young woman from the United States, who travels, taking pictures to give to people who might not otherwise ever have a photo of their child, mother, father, or grandparent
the news that Liberia has reopened its borders and relaxed curfews, signs that the threat of Ebola is diminishing
the joy of seeing young men and women learn, grow, and mature

We offer to you stories of heart-break, like:

the families who are grieving the deaths of their loved ones as a result of avalanches in Afghanistan
the families of those who died at the hands of a gunman in a restaurant in the Czech Republic, and for the family of the gunman who took his own life
the sorrow of young boys and girls sold into slavery and war around the world

We offer to you, O God, this world that is not our home,
with its joys and heartaches, triumphs and sorrows.
Sustain us as we travel this earth, until you call us to our true home.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer Thursday, 12 February 2015

As we prepare ourselves for the holy season of Lent, let us reflect in prayer on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: that when we love the least of these, we love you, Lord.

Help us to love the least of these in prison. We pray for prisoners throughout the world. We pray that they may receive justice, that those who are innocent may be freed and those who are guilty may be restored and reconciled. We remember especially this week for Taiwan where 6 inmates held several guards hostage before committing suicide.

Help us to love the least of these who are refugees. We pray for the souls of the 300 migrants who drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. We pray too for all those who tried to rescue them, as they have done so many times over the past months and years, and help them deal with the grief and horror of the tragedy. We pray for the children from Guatemala, El Salvador, and elsewhere held in family detention camps in New Mexico, USA. We pray for all those who have been displaced from their homes.

Help us to love the least of those who seek peace. We give thanks for the ceasefire announced in Ukraine and pray that it may hold. We pray for Syria, Burkina Faso, Iraq, Afghanistan, and for countries affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, especially Nigeria, Cameroon, and Niger.

Help us to love the least of those of all faiths and tribes. We pray for Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad and her sister Razan who were killed this week in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA by their neighbor.

Help us, O Lord, to love our neighbors as You have commanded us to do. Help us to see in them the image of the living God who has come to dwell with us. And may we be transformed when we see You before us in the face of the least of these.

Amen.

World News This Week In Prayer – Thursday, January 8, 2015

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.
Proverbs 21:30

The rich and the poor have this in common, the Lord is the Maker of them all.
Proverbs 22:2

Lord, when will You tear the heavens apart to make Your will known and show Your might? Yes, I understand that You are still making Your will known. Give me the strength to share that knowledge to comfort and strengthen all people. The best I can do is to share Your answer, to live and be the answer but, O Lord, tear the heavens apart to give me the impetus to make a difference.

Lord, give us the grace and love to be Your light in the darkness.

So Lord, let me and all my companion Christians and all who love You, make a difference in the lives of those displaced across the Middle East. Especially we pray for safe passage for the gifts of winter clothing and warm bedding to Christians in northern Iraq and Syria in this harshest of winters.

Lord, give us the grace and love to be Your light in the darkness.

We pray for those mourning and coping following the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris, France; for those who now make a difference in their challenge for freedom of speech. Around the world there are others who mourn: following the loss of life in boats and aeroplanes, in avalanches and floods, in wars and acts of terrorism. We offer our comfort and prayers.

Lord, give us the grace and love to be Your light in the darkness.

We pray for the teachers and educators especially in areas such as northern Nigeria, Afghanistan and Somalia in their challenge to provide education and to make a difference in lives lived in extreme conditions.

Lord, give us the grace and love to be Your light in the darkness.

As “dangerously cold weather” is forecast for the eastern United States we pray for those tackling other extreme conditions across the world: wildfire across southern Australia; for those living with gales in Scotland, cold in USA and Canada.

Lord, give us the grace and love to be Your light in the darkness.

So many places, so many people, Lord help us to make a difference, one by one, each day. Amen

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, December 18, 2014

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. – John 13:34

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. – Matthew 11:29

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. – John 12:46

The news this week has left me crying with the bereaved relatives and friends of 137 school-children and 5 teachers in Pakistan, “ENOUGH!”

In Gumsuri village, northern Nigeria, 33 people were murdered by Boko Haram and another 200 taken captive.
51 people are confirmed dead and more than 50 are still missing after a mud-slide in Java, Indonesia.
The worst drought in over 80 years is stalking huge areas around Sao Paulo, Brazil. Heavy rainstorms have temporarily broken the drought in California, USA but have not refilled the vastly depleted water table.
Australia is recovering from the siege in a Sydney cafe which resulted in 2 deaths and others injured and is now looking to improve its gun-controls.
Tugs and ships are being used as floating arsenals for private security firms fighting pirates in several areas of the world. The ships are often registered to countries which have no record of control or management of such items causing major concerns over security and accountability.
Greece is in turmoil, and is seemingly unable to appoint a new government leading to more chaos and insecurity.
The Russian ruble has gone into free-fall leaving ordinary Russians to pay the price.
Five people have died in Japan following heavy snowfall and vast tidal surges caused by unexpectedly low barometric pressure.
The fighting and political manipulation continues in Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, the West Bank, Israel, Afghanistan, Somalia and so many other countries…
And we all live in the same small world, inter-connected, needing and being needed by each other. When will we stand together like the people of Pakistan and say, “Enough!” Where now, India, which has been antagonistic towards Pakistan since its inception, is now tweeting in the thousands messages of support under the hashtag IndiawithPakistan. A bereaved parent in Peshawar, Pakistan said “the smallest coffins are the heaviest ones to lift.”
The USA has dropped its decades long isolation policy against its near neighbor Cuba. At the same time as admitting that the torture and rendition policies used after 9/11 were ineffective in producing intelligence. Something that history made clear long ago. Other countries including the United Kingdom, Jordan, Egypt, Poland and others all were involved too although now desperately trying to shed responsibility or blame.
A young boy is being shunned in his village in China because he was born with HIV – a common reaction to those with this disease in China.

Lord, have mercy and forgive us our cruelty and lack of love for each other especially when we encounter differences.

Thankfully we hear of people celebrating differences and difficulties transforming them into challenges. The nativity plays put on by children with multiple health and learning disabilities, goes to the truth and heart of Advent and Christmas. Christ comes for us all, black, white, brown, yellow, male, female, transgender, able-bodied and those with life-limiting conditions whether of body or mind. So often, the worst things that happen are done by those who are deformed in their soul, but Christ is born for each one of them too.

These prayers from different faith traditions have helped me refocus on God, our hope and source of life.

Bahá’í – Be a breath of life unto the body of humankind a dew upon the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility.
Christian – Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Blessed be the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the Children of God.
Confucian – First there must be order and harmony within your own heart. Only then can there be peace and harmony in the world.
Hindu – Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. God’s peace, peace, peace to all.
Jain – Peace and universal love is the essence of all the teachings. Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me.
Jewish – Oh come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that we may walk the paths of the Most High. And we will beat our swords into ploughshares and our spears into pruning hooks.
Muslim – Praise be to the Lord of the Universe. Who has created us and made us into tribes and nations that we may know each other, not despise each other.
Native African – For you are one who does not hesitate to respond to our call, you are the cornerstone of peace.
Native American – Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect and to be kind to one another that we may grow with peace in mind.
Sikh – Know that we find God when we love, and only that victory endures in consequence of which no one is defeated.
Zoroastrian – We pray to God that understanding will triumph over ignorance, that generosity will triumph over indifference, that trust will triumph over contempt, and that truth will triumph over falsehood

God of Advent, / among refugees and outcasts / you breathed your first breaths. / In the cry of a newborn child you proclaimed / Emmanuel, God-with-us. / Come, God of the margins, / breathe into us the spirit of longing for your Kingdom. / Come this Advent to make us dream of / and work for / a better world of justice and freedom. / Come Lord, come. / Amen. (Dave Broom, Iona Community)

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, October 9, 2014

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1: 1-5. 14

The news in its various forms has left me agitated and sad, confused and dejected, angry and inspired. The maelstrom of reaction to what is happening around us, near and far, wherever we are on this wonderful planet given to us to live on, forces me back to basics. John echoing Genesis, puts it all in perspective. The light is here for each one of us and has not and will never be put out or overcome by darkness and evil.

So, let us begin our time of prayer with thankfulness, trusting in the love and mercy of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The peace of the Lord be with you always

ALL: And also with you.

God of grace, we may not wish to follow in your steps or be open to your lead. We separate ourselves from your support and healing. Forgive us for all we have done or left undone, all we have said or left unsaid. You call forth eagles to bend wings in adoration. But there are times in life when we are unable to appreciate the gift of your creation in this world or in ourselves. We name before you the secret seventh round of negotiations between the EU and the US to benefit transnational corporations at the expense of, among other issues, democracy, food safety, the environment and banking legislation. Already one Swedish company is suing the German government for business losses following their decision to close down all nuclear energy plants after the Fukushima reactor plant exploded in Japan. There is the toll on human lives as well: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US, Canada and Mexico caused the loss of one million US jobs over 12 years, instead of the hundreds of thousands of extra jobs that were promised.

Lord let your light shine in the dark and secret places…

ALL: Let there be light.

Christ our Savior, sometimes we feel unable to walk with you. We grow faint and exhausted with life. Sometimes we want to give up. We name before you the continuing devastation, famine and war in South Sudan. We also name the continuing war in Syria, Turkey, and Iraq, Afghanistan and on the Kashmiri border between Pakistan and India, as well as pray for the 53 students who disappeared in Mexico… The list could be endless. But we do not despair. Instead we join together and give thanks for all those courageous selfless people seeking to bring light, truth, hope and care where there is so little or none.

Lord let your light shine in the dark and secret places…

ALL: Let there be light.

Spirit of God, when we are weary and tired, unable to soar in the sky of life, we can look only to you for healing and renewed energy. And so,
God of strength, thank you for your grace and forgiveness. Fill us with energy for each moment of life you give us. Help us to choose to trust you not just for this moment, but for the rest of our lives. Let Your light shine in our lives and illuminate with truth and love all that we seek to do as individuals, as communities and as states and we will acknowledge you as Lord, Creator and Redeemer of all.

AMEN

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, July 17, 2014

Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light,
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

Even as we sing, even as we pray, Precious Lord, our thoughts turn to those for whom ‘home’ has become an uncertain and unsafe place, for whom ‘home’ is but a hope-filled dream. For those of us who know this place of safety and comfort, our minds strain to comprehend what its loss means to so many, and so we turn our thoughts and hearts and hope to them this day.

To all those in the path of Typhon Rammasun in the Pacific- the people of the Philippines who have already experienced its devastation and the people of coastal China, where its track is headed.