Almighty God,
Lord of all compassion,
events in recent weeks remind us
that we continue to live in a
broken and deeply divided world.
We cannot
comprehend what drives people to acts of terror and destruction,
and to a willingness
to kill and maim innocent people
in the name of religion.
As Jesus
commanded,
we pray for our
enemies and those who wish us ill;
we pray for an
end to hatred and needless violence;
we pray for
children left orphaned, and bereaved parents;
we pray for those
who live with physical and mental scars of terrorism.
And we also pray
for those who work to relieve the suffering.
Pour your Spirit on
us
to enable us and
all your people
to work for
justice and true peacemaking,
In the name of
Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
~ inspired by a prayer
posted on the website of the NSW Council
of Churches in 2011. http://www.nswchurches.org/Resources/Prayers/PR1101_September11.pdf
