Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of March 3, 2025
This week, the Lenten season begins for all Christians in the Holy Land. March 3rd marks Clean Monday in Orthodox traditions, while March 5th marks Ash Wednesday for many Catholic and Protestant traditions.
Dear Lord, in this season of fasting and lament, we remember those who hunger, those displaced by war, and those whose homes are turned to ash, especially in Gaza and the West Bank. As we journey through Lent, deepen our commitment to justice and repentance so that we may work to end despair and suffering and help build a world rooted in your peace.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
No Other Land, a film about Palestinians resisting home demolitions in the West Bank, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature this week—the first-ever Oscar for Palestine. Filmed between 2019 and 2023, it follows activist Basel Adra as he risks arrest to document the destruction of his hometown, Masafer Yatta. Adra and Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham accepted the award together, urging the global community to pressure Israel to end its human rights abuses.
God of Truth, we give thanks for the recognition of No Other Land. Through this film, illuminate to the world the reality of Palestinian life under occupation. We lift up Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, and all who labor to speak truth. Strengthen all who work for justice, and may this moment encourage the people of Masafer Yatta, affirming that their struggle is seen, their voices are heard, and their steadfastness is not in vain.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
On 5th of March, global participants in the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage, now in its second year, will join a Snap Action to launch the Lenten ceasefire pilgrimages. Walkers will cover 10 km—the distance from Bethlehem to Jerusalem—pausing to pray at symbolic checkpoints. From Cape Town to Seoul, these pilgrimages express prayerful solidarity with Palestinians facing dispossession and oppression. Organizers urge communities worldwide to find updates and register at gazaceasefirepilgrimage.com.
God of Justice, as faithful Christians around the world walk in solidarity, we lift our voices in prayer for their journey. May their steps be a powerful witness to the injustices in the Holy Land. Strengthen the resolve of all who put faith in you to walk as Jesus walked. Guide our feet, O Lord, until justice and dignity flow like a river for all people.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
Last week, 7 infants in Gaza died from hypothermia due to severe cold and the Israeli blockade of shelter to Gaza. As phase 1 of the ceasefire deal ends and phase 2 remains stalled, Israel has decided to block all aid from entering Gaza, collectively punishing over 2 million Palestinians.
Christ our Savior, much like in your time, when the innocent suffered under the weight of empire, so too do the little ones of Gaza perish by the cruelty of violence, blockade and oppression. You who welcomed the children, gather these infants into your eternal embrace. Comfort the grieving, sustain our resolve to end this cruelty, and move the hearts of those in power so that a permanent ceasefire may come.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
Palestinian prisoners were released this weekend from Israeli jails. Among them, 97 have been exiled to Egypt. However, Israeli authorities have been preventing the families of these deported prisoners from traveling to visit them.
Dear Lord, we lift up all prisoners who have endured unjust captivity. We pray for an end to their exile and for the restoration of their rights and dignity. May they be reunited with their families, and may the world recognize the depth of their suffering and be moved to action.
Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayer.
During Ramadan season, Israel is imposing extra restrictions to the al-Aqsa mosque compound. This includes restricting worshippers from the West Bank to men over 55 and women over 50, banning recently freed Palestinian hostages from entry, and increasing Israeli police presence with 3,000 armed personnel at checkpoints around the mosque.
God of all peoples, you call us to worship in spirit and in truth, yet walls and weapons stand between the faithful and their prayers. We lift up those denied entry and those who long to bow in devotion but are met with barricades. Strengthen their spirits, and let their faith be a force that no empire can silence. Divine Creator, help us work toward a Jerusalem of peace that welcomes all.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
We join the World Council of Churches in their prayers for Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer