PRAYER FOR JUST PEACE IN THE PHILIPPINES
This week’s prayer is shared by Act for Peace from local partner, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. May this prayer guide your own reflections and help create a space for your holy rituals, meditations and gratitude this weekend. Our prayer today and always is that together we can create a world where people uprooted by conflict and disaster have a safe place to belong.
By Deaconess Norma P. Dollaga, United Methodist Church, recipient of the 2024 World Methodist Peace Award
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for the day will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
God, who is known by many names,
Draw us to Your heart.
To the deepest sighs of grieving souls,
so that we may stand and mourn with them for the loss of their kin,
taken by hunger and disease;
taken by bullets and bombs, accused as enemies of the state.
Bring us to your heart,
to the songs of people’s melodies.
They sing lullabies and hymns that long for freedom.
Their voices reach out to the highest heaven, like a prayer.
Lead us to their music.
So that we can sing with them, and pray with them,
until the song of FREEDOM unites us all.
Bring us to your heart.
To the dance of the people’s rhythm to struggle for life
that leads their movement towards justice and vision of peace
So that when we breathe in the wind of Shalom
we will know that victory is in us.
Lead us to Your kind heart.
To the poems of people’s tears that tell of their humanity.
Bring us to their stories of courage and hope,
Woven together so we may collectively find Your peace that surpasses understanding and action.
We long for peace.
A Peace that sets us free
from oppression and exploitation.
A peace that is JUST and enduring.
A peace that restores and celebrates our God-given humanity.
Amen.