A prayer for the tragic events in Turkey and Syria
God of time and space, we cry to you for your children – our neighbours – in southern Turkey and northern Syria, following the earthquake that has devastated thousands of lives. Only they and you know what it is like to experience such trauma in the middle of the night.
We give thanks for the aid that has already been given and for the promises of help that have been made by many nations.
Comfort, we pray, those who have lost loved ones; those who wait for news and those digging through rubble in the vain hope of finding others.
Grant the gift of hope so that those caught between life and death know that you are with them and that others are ready to support them as they seek a future that overshadows the experiences of today.
We ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer written by the President of the Methodist Conference, the Revd Graham Thompson.
We have been asked by The Archbishops of Canterbury and York to continue to pray for Ukraine:
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We write to you as the world is in turmoil following recent events in Eastern Europe. I am sure that you will agree that the horrific and unprovoked attack on Ukraine is an act of great evil.
Now, more than ever, we need to place our trust in Jesus Christ, as we remember that God is not the author of confusion but of peace; and so I urge you to pray for a ceasefire, a withdrawal of Russian forces and for peace to prevail. Pray for the innocent – the women, men and children who are displaced, whose lives are disrupted, and who live in fear of the atrocities of war. Pray for those with power – that they may make a resolute and public decision to never use force, to actively work for peace and seek peaceful solutions to dispute and disagreement. Pray that there may be a recognition of common and shared humanity and God’s promise of flourishing life for all people.
The Bishop in Europe has asked us to join them in prayer for the chaplaincy in Kyiv and the churches that serve Ukraine.
At this time of great uncertainty, we place our hope and trust in God, whose love never fails. Lord, have mercy.
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