Christian Aid Ireland invites you to join in them to pray for the families and communities affected by the conflict in Syria. Prayers follow
A prayer for hope
Lord, hear our prayers for Syria. For people leaving everything behind to flee to safety, For those who have lost loved ones, For lives interrupted, educations stalled and families separated. Lord, bless your people.
We thank you for the work of partners, For the hospitality of neighbours, the generosity of strangers, For those who give of themselves to help others For those who refuse to be silent in the face of injustice Lord, bless your people.
Lord, give the people of Syria hope,
For peace and justice to prevail,
For there to be new beginnings for all people living in that land,
For freedom to replace fear and for there to be a better tomorrow
Lord, bless your people.
Amen.
A prayer from the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle on the Gulf region:
Syrian Clementine Liturgy (in: For all God’s people)
O God, who art the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings and the bestower of affection, who sendest peace to those that receive it;
Open to us this day the sea of thy love and water us with plenteous streams from the riches of thy grace and from the most sweet springs of thy kindness.
Make us children of quietness and heirs of peace, enkindle in us the fire of thy love; sow in us thy fear; strengthen our weakness by thy power; bind us closely to thee and to each other in our firm and indissoluble bond of unity. Amen.
A prayer of response
God, thank you for glimpses of grace in the darkness of despair. For the hospitality that welcomes strangers, for the welcome that overcomes political tensions, for the stories of landlords offering blankets and food instead of taking rent, for ‘dignity kits’ provided for new mothers where female needs are often neglected, and for solidarity reached over short borders we give you thanks.
May that solidarity extend beyond geography into our hearts, may the underlying knowledge of devastation in Syria surface in our minds, may the peripheral awareness of trauma become a central concern, may we be moved by compassion to respond to the ‘almost impossible need’, and may the international community finally stand up and be counted.
For the hundreds of thousands who know the harshness of freezing temperatures, the insecurity of homelessness, the pain of hunger, the loss of protection, and the fear of the unknown. Denied the dignity of what it is to be human. God, we pray for them warmth, security, food and peace.
Give wisdom to those who seek resolution to this conflict,
who take on this challenge for which there is no solution in sight.
Turn things around on this Damascus road, blind the forces of violence, and make persecutors messengers of peace.
A prayer for the people of Syria
Almighty and all powerful God, creator of the world and the nations We bring before you all those caught up in the conflict in Syria.
We pray for an immediate ceasefire, for an end to violence against all civilians. Give humanitarian organisations the space to assist the needs of those living in poverty and insecurity.
We pray for those who are experiencing the pain of personal loss, for families who are mourning the loss of loved ones Comfort especially those who have friends and family members missing.
We pray for those caught up in the cycle of violence and bloodshed: give them a just peace.
We pray for those forced to flee their homes: keep them safe on their travels and arrival in foreign lands.
We pray for Christian Aid partners in neighbouring countries: guide them in their response to this situation.
We pray for those in positions of power who have the means to make a difference: Guide the United Nations, and governments whose actions might bring about peace.
We pray for the future of all countries where people have been willing to challenge unfair and unjust governments We ask that the outcome will be a better future for all, and that the poor and marginalised will experience new lives of dignity and hope.
And we pray for ourselves, that we will not ignore their pleas for help
That we may play our part in bringing about the change that they want to see.
Amen.
A prayer inspired by Psalm 130
Out of the depths we cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our voices! Above the sound of rockets and the weeping of those bereaved, hear our earnest prayers!
We look on in horror at children killed, homes and schools hit, smoking rubble. We listen in fear to voices speaking defiance, vowing revenge, claiming violence as a solution. We mourn with all who have lost loved ones, all who have fled the fighting, all who will lie down in fear this night.
We wait for the Lord, our souls wait, and only in the Prince of Peace can we hope; our souls wait for the Lord, more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch in fear for what destruction the morning’s light will show.
O peoples of this troubled region, may your angry voices be calmed, may love drive out hatred, may God’s peace settle upon you.
May God redeem all who call for further killing. May the horrors of these days give fresh determination to the peacemakers. And may we see conflict here no more. Amen.