Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of Sept. 24, 2018

The ‘Great March of Return’ continues with more Palestinians coming under live fire from the Israeli military forces. It has also been reported that Palestinian fishermen are coming under pressure from frequent arrests and live fire from the Israeli Navy. This constant pressure on the livelihoods of these fishermen means that 95% of the fishing industry in Gaza now live below the poverty line.

Lord, we continue to hold the protestors in our prayers; cast your net of protection over Gaza and its fisherman so that they may catch abundant fish without the threat of arrest or injury. Lord, in your mercy…Hear our prayers

Thirty-four Democratic senators, more than a third of the U.S. Senate, have signed a letter criticizing the Trump administration’s recent decisions to withhold American aid from the Palestinians. The senators warned that these cuts, including the loss of aid to hospitals in Israeli-controlled East Jerusalem, will harm Israel’s security. Now, Democrats on Capitol Hill are calling on President Trump to reverse his decision to impose cuts, saying that they will contribute towards a humanitarian crisis in the region.

Lord, you never faint or grow weary. We pray for the efforts of lawmakers around the world who work for the powerless and the dispossessed. We pray that you would renew their strength and encourage them in their work for justice. Lord, in your mercy…

American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) have recently completed work on a wastewater reuse project in Ramallah to increase the amount of water available for drinking by using wastewater for non-domestic uses including firefighting and irrigation of crops and gardens. Ramallah City, the West Bank, suffers from severe water shortages resulting from drought, population growth, and Israel’s limiting Palestinian access to groundwater resources.

God who called us forth from the dust and watered our lands with countless streams and great rivers, as we gaze upon this world that so thirsts for your water let it remind us of all the thirsts in this land: the thirst for justice, the thirst for peace, the thirst for opportunity, the thirst for reconciliation and the thirst for hope. Lord, in your mercy…

The Israeli Civil Administration announced an expansion plan of the Israeli settlement of Tina Omarim in the town of Dahriyeh, Hebron. The Land Research Centre, a Palestinian research centre, released a report on Monday, the 17th of September, which shows that the Israeli Civil Administration have published a plan that would change the classification of the Palestinian-owned land from agricultural to urban, in order to justify expanding the illegal Israeli settlement. The report said that the plan would lead to the seizure of 260 dunums, (64 acres), of Palestinian-owned land in the al-Thahriyeh town.

Lord, the Israeli occupation continues to dispossess the Palestinian people of their land. We pray that those who stand for international law and human rights would speak out and expose the illegal actions of Israel. Lord, in your mercy…

Sabeel continues to organize local Bible study groups in the community to help Christians to come together and reflect on what it means to follow Christ today, living under the oppressive constraints in the land of Palestine and Israel.

Lord, your words are life and light. We give thanks to all the lay leaders who help organise the Bible Study groups and prepare the material. Accept our prayers as incense offered to you, and our upraised hands as an evening offering (Psalm 141). Lord, in your mercy…. 

Several international groups are to participate in the Palestine Circus Festival, set to take place in 32 locations across the occupied West Bank, which will be held under the slogan “United for Freedom.”

Lord, we thank you for those willing to bring their creative gifts together to highlight injustice. May your innovative spirit bless all those involved with this project. Lord, in your mercy…

We join the World Council of Churches in prayer for the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Peru. Lord, in your mercy…