Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of Nov. 4, 2019

At least 96 Palestinians were injured on Friday as Israeli forces attacked dozens of peaceful protesters taking part in the 81st Friday of the Great March of Return at the border between Gaza and Israel. Airstrikes also rocked areas of Gaza over the weekend as the Israeli Air-force responded with extreme force to rocket fire from within Gaza.

Lord, we continue to pray for the people of Gaza as they raise their voices in legitimate protest and suffer under the constant fear of aerial bombardment. May your will be done so that all the people of this land may come to enjoy the fruits of a just peace. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.

This week’s Kumi Now initiative focuses on the work of the Palestinian grassroots organization ‘Stop the Wall’. As Israel has been constructing its 700km wall it has annexed more and more Palestinian land. Over 85% of the segregation wall has been built on land belonging to Palestinians and this organization seeks to dismantle it. The International Court of Justice declared the construction of the wall illegal in 2004.

Dear Lord Jesus, our Prince of Peace, you will one day raise a banner for all the nations and gather people from the four corners of the earth to you (Is11:12). Lord, we pray for an end to the segregation caused by the wall, longing for it to be dismantled and the confiscated lands returned to their rightful owners. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

The Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem has an advanced center for cancer treatment where patients; children, and adults, can receive the vital care they need. The administration of the hospital is facing a serious financial crisis after Israel and the US imposed severe financial cuts. The Palestinian people have been raising funds for the hospital, however, more funding is desperately needed.

Lord, we pray for those receiving treatment, and the staff, at the Augusta Victoria Hospital. Lord these Palestinian patients have nowhere else to go to receive the treatment they need. We pray that funds will be forthcoming to provide the necessary treatment and medication. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Last August two US Democrat Congresswomen, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar planned to visit the Palestinian Territories. Their visit was banned by Israel on the grounds that they had voiced their support for the boycott of Israel over their treatment of Palestinians. A new virtual reality application has now been made available so that everybody can visit the sites which would have been on their itinerary, including East Jerusalem, Hebron, and Bethlehem.

Lord, many people have visited Palestine and seen for themselves the impact of the oppressive policies of the Israeli government. We pray that more people will use the free virtual reality tours to witness the injustice suffered by Palestinians as a result of these policies. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

A number of Norwegian lawyers and professors of law published the ‘Defend International Law’ paper on the 31st of October. This paper challenges their government’s position on Israel and its persistent violations of international law. They call for the introduction of sanctions against Israel for their serious human rights’ abuses perpetrated against Palestinians.

Lord, again and again we have cried out to lawmakers to help restore respect for international law and human rights in the Holy Land. We pray that lawmakers around the word will take up the Norwegian call for justice to be restored in Palestine/ Israel. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

It is just one month until Sabeel will host its first International Gathering from the 2nd to the 7th of December at various venues in Bethlehem, Palestine. The gathering will bring together different organizations working for a just peace in Palestine and Israel, including

Kairos Palestine, Bethlehem Bible College, al-Liqa and Dar al-Kalima. The gathering will also explore the Kumi Now initiative and ways in which the worldwide community can engage in non-violent action to achieve a just peace in Palestine/Israel.

Lord, we pray that you would help to bring those people to the Sabeel International Gathering who you want to use to bring about a just peace in the Holy Land. We ask, Lord, that you will bless those who come, so they have the eyes to see and the ears to hear the message you wish them to draw from the gathering. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Oceania: American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia (Maohi Nui), Kanaky, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.