Sabeel Wave of Prayer

 

 Israeli Occupation forces shot and killed two 18-year-old Palestinians after they attacked and killed an Israeli border policewoman outside the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem.

• Lord, the people ask how long the streets of Jerusalem will be a battle ground. Why won’t the Israeli occupation end? The decision makers remain silent and unashamed. The weeping of Palestinian and Israeli families are loud and clear, and the anger that thrives on the streets only promises more loss and sorrow. Dear God, we pray for justice; we pray for the day that the occupation will end.
  Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer…

This weekend, our Muslim sisters and brothers in Palestine, Israel, and around the world will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the feast marking the end of Ramadan.

• Gracious God, we pray that this time of feasting and celebration may be a blessed time for all who are celebrating and that they will have opportunities for fellowship with friends and family.

Lord, in your mercy…

Last week, Israeli forces demolished the Bedouin village of al-Araqib for the 114th time. The temporary aluminum shelters, which had been put up since the last time the village was demolished, were bulldozed, and the residents of the town have been ordered to pay for the cumulative cost of demolitions. Members of the village committee say that residents will continue to rebuild their homes and remain in the village.

• Lord, we thank you for the courage and stubbornness of the people as they continue to rebuild and refuse to be forced out of their land. We pray that you will helpthe Israeli decision makersaccept that truth and justice always triumph over the power of violence.

Lord, in your mercy…

The Israeli Knesset recently extended the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law for another year. This law prohibits family reunification permits allowing people from the West Bank and Gaza to live with their spouses inside Israel or East Jerusalem. The law was originally passed in 2003 and has been extended each year since.

• Loving God, we pray for the Palestinian families who are forced to live separately because they do not have permits to live together. We ask for guidance for families who have to make difficult choices regarding their futures, whether that means moving or living separately. As they face the intimate consequences of a law intended to diminish the number of Palestinians in Israel, we pray for their wellbeing.

Lord, in your mercy…

On Saturday, a group from Sabeel will take a trip to the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights to visit a church and villages there. On Monday and Tuesday, a group of Bible study facilitators will meet in the village of Taybeh, in the West Bank, for training on how to lead Bible studies.

• Lord, we thank you for these opportunities for learning and fellowship. We are thankful for each person who participates in Sabeel programming. We pray that these programs may be meaningful times of renewal and encouragement.

Lord, in your mercy…

We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Malawi and Zambia.

• Lord, in your mercy…

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Sabeel Wave of Prayer

 

 

The government of Israel has recently approved thousands of new housing units in illegal settlements in the West Bank, including over 3,000 which are scheduled for “immediate construction.”

• Creator God, the Israeli government continues to illegally grab Palestinian land. We pray that the international community will have the courage to follow up the implementation by Israel of UN resolutions. We pray also that the eyes of the oppressors will be opened so that they may see the humanity of their fellow people and stop building these settlements which cause so much suffering.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer…

Last Wednesday, businesses and schools were closed during strikes in Palestinian-majority cities inside Israel after a guard at an Israeli police station shot and killed Muhammad Taha during clashes with the police in Kafr Qasim protesting police negligence and brutality. Leaders of the strike said that Taha posed no threat to the police and called his death “cold-blooded murder.”

• Lord, we pray for an end to the violence and death. We thank you for people who are willing to use nonviolent resistance, such as strikes, to protest against the powers which devalue human life. We hold the family of Muhammad Taha in our prayers as they grieve for their loved one.

Lord, in your mercy…

The amount of electricity that Israel supplies the Gaza strip is scheduled to be reduced, despite the ongoing power shortage there already. This announcement comes as a result of conflict between the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and Israel.

• Lord, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to worsen. We pray for an end to divisions among Palestinian leadership which make it more difficult to meet people’s needs. God of abundance, provide for your people in Gaza, and give them hope for themselves, their children, and their communities. We pray also for an end to the blockade which makes the people of Gaza so vulnerable to inability to meet their basic needs.

Lord, in your mercy …

For Palestinian young people, education is a source of hope for a better future. This week, students across Palestine and Israel are finishing the school year, and many who are completing secondary school are taking national exams that will determine their ability to enter university.

• God, please give these students clarity of mind and the confidence to do their best, despite the uncertainties that surround them, and let the summer holiday be a welcome rest for all the children. We pray especially for our high school students as they take the exams that shape their future.  May our young people never lose hope for a future of freedom and peace.

Lord, in your mercy…

Prime Minister Netanyahu called for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to be dismantled and accused it of anti-Israel bias. UNRWA provides aid to over five million Palestinian refugees around the Middle East.

• Lord, Palestinian refugees are still not allowed to return to their homes, and now Netanyahu is calling for the dismantling of aid programs that work to meet their basic needs. We pray that leaders around the world will make decisions that will help the refugees rather than minimizing their needs.

Lord, in your mercy…

We join the world Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Botswana and Zimbabwe.

• Lord, in your mercy…

 

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Sabeel June 8^th, 2017
Wave of Prayer

 

2017 marks many anniversaries in the history of Palestine. This week marks the 50^th anniversary of the beginning of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

• Lord, this week we lament 50 years of occupation, which gave birth to so much injustice, suffering, and dispossession for the Palestinian people. We pray that 2017, this fiftieth year, will be a biblical year of Jubilee, a year in which we proclaim liberty to our land and all its inhabitants. Lord, we cry out to you that this year will be a time to speak truth to power, a time to break the silence surrounding injustice, a year for peace, a year for Palestine.
  Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer…

Last week, 15-year-old Nouf Iqab Infeiat was shot by Israeli soldiers who alleged that she was holding a knife, although the videos don’t show that. She died a few hours later. As she laid bleeding on the street, the soldiers stood around her and shouted insults at her rather than getting her medical help.

• Lord, the Israeli occupation continues to thrive on hate, violence, and fear while the children continue to pay the price. We ask you to comfort Nouf’s family as they grieve the loss of their beloved daughter. We pray for an end to the occupation that devours children and the humanity of the occupiers.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer…

Last Sunday, churches around the world celebrated Pentecost and remember the beginning of the church in Jerusalem. Now, as then, the church here lives in a context of occupation and seeks to show an alternate Way in a world enamored with empire.

• Blessed Redeemer of all the earth, this week we pray especially for your church in the Middle East. Stand with the women, men, and children who are your body in the Middle East and send your Holy Spirit to them. Protect your church from all evil and let it shine with the light of your love, truth, grace, and goodness.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer…

For their 2017 Conference, Friends of Sabeel – UK is holding a series of events around the UK during the first two weeks of June. These events will allow people in the UK to  learn about the work of Sabeel Jerusalem and to focus on areas of advocacy that they can support, providing an opportunity for as many people as possible to hear the Palestinian Christian story.

• God, we lift this conference up to you. Send your Spirit on the speakers, especially Omar from Jerusalem. Grant the participants ears to hear, and hearts that are willing to connect with their brothers and sisters living here in Palestine. We pray that each person involved in the conference will grow in faith and knowledge.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer…

 

• We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer…

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Palestinian political prisoners ended a 40-day hunger strike after the Israeli prison service agreed to meet most of their just and rightful demands.

 

• Lord, we confess that we could have done more to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian political prisoners as they demanded their basic rights. We give thanks for the amazing steadfastness of the prisoners as they hungered and thirsted for justice through nonviolence.
  Lord, in your mercy…
  hear our prayer…

 

This week, our Muslim brothers and sisters in Palestine, Israel, and around the world started observing the holy month of Ramadan.

• Lord of all, we remember our Muslim brothers and sisters as they begin to observe the holy month of Ramadan. We pray that this time of fasting will draw them closer to you, to each other and to all your children.

          Lord, in your mercy…

On Saturday, 15,000 Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to protest the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. The demonstrators called for an end to occupation that denies the right to self determination for the Palestinians.

• Lord, we thank you for people of all nationalities, in Israel and around the world, who stand up for peace and call for justice. This protest is a sign of hope that there are large numbers of Israelis who are willing to speak out against the actions of their government and military. We pray that they will be able to remain steadfast and continue to stand for justice.

         Lord, in your mercy…

In 2008, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands made a decision to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people suffering under injustice. The Church is also committed to maintaining an unbreakable bond with the Jewish people. This year marks 50 years of Israel’s illegal military occupation of the state of Palestine. Our friends in Kairos-Sabeel Netherlands request our prayers for their activities advocating freedom for the Palestinian people.

• Merciful God, we pray that the Dutch Protestant Church will use words and actions to give hope to the people in Palestine. May the Church be brave enough to act on its resolutions and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. May the leaders of the church speak truth with courage about the injustice inflicted against the people of Palestine. Dear God, bless the work of our friends in the Kairos-Sabeel Netherlands movement as they commit to work for reconciliation in Palestine and Israel based on a just peace.

          Lord, in your mercy…

 

In Egypt, Last Friday, masked gunmen opened fire on buses carrying Coptic Christians as they were heading to St. Samuel Monastery in Sinai to pray. The gunmen killed 30 worshipers, mainly children, and injured many others.

 

• Lord, fear has found a home in our hearts as the demons of evil and extremism continue to steal the lives of your followers. We pray for comfort and peace to the families and friends of these martyrs. Dear God, give sight to our neighbours who are blinded by hatred. We believe that you are the way the truth and the life, and that you have the power to cast away the demons that haunt us.
  Lord, in your mercy…

 

We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Angola and Mozambique.

• Lord, in your mercy… 

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Sabeel Wave of Prayer
May 25^th,2017

Last Sunday, the Israel prison service evacuated 60 hunger-striking Palestinian political prisoners to hospitals because their medical condition had deteriorated. The Israeli prison service has also moved 592 hunger strikers to infirmaries set up in the prisonsfor observation.

• Lord, we give thanks for the steadfastness of the Palestinian prisoners and their faithfulness to non-violence. Hear our prayers Lord as we continue to recite ‘‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” in our daily prayers.

           Leader: Lord in your mercy

           People: Hear our prayers

Gaza’s electricity crisis has become acute and is going to get worse if no immediate solution is found. This came in a statement released on Friday by The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to the occupied Palestinian territories.  Gaza has been experiencing a severe electricity crisis since mid-April after its only power plant stopped operating due to shortage of funds for its fuel. Both Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority continue to trade accusations on who is to be blamed.

• Lord, Gaza is in darkness and our Palestinian political leadership is unable to see our suffering. We pray for an end to the Palestinian divisions and for the accountability of our leadership. God, grant our Palestinian people the power and a way to shout ENOUGH.

Lord in your mercy…

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are being deprived of their most basic need – access to water – as the Israeli national water company Mekorot restricts the water supply to villages and towns in the northern West Bank.

• Lord, many thirst and feelweak. We demand our rights from our neighbours who continue to steal our water and deprive us from our basic rights. The people ask “Where is your justice Lord?” butour Church leaders remain silent. Lord in your mercy…

US President Donald Trumpis visiting Jerusalem and Bethlehem to seek ways to restart talks between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government.Trump spoke of a “rare opportunity” to bring peace to the region as he landed in Tel Aviv on Monday.

• Lord, we have faith you will suffice us, you are our best guardian and trustee.  We pray for your spirit that works in mysterious ways to bring hope in this situation of hopelessness.  Give us the faith to believe that the kings and the powerful of this world will bow to your will of justice and respect the weak and oppressed. Lord in your mercy…

• We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of the Indian Ocean Islands: Comoros, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles.
  Lord in your mercy…

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Sabeel Wave of Prayer

This week the Palestinians are commemorating the Nakba, the catastrophe that happened 69 years ago, 530 Palestinian villages and towns were destroyed and over 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly driven out their homes in 1948. The Nakba created an enormous refugee problem and catalyzed a process of generational dispossession for Palestinians.

• God of love and justice, as we commemorate the Palestinian Nakba (May 15) this week, our hearts break with the grief of 69 years of different forms of injustice and suffering in Palestine. Though our hearts break, please do not let our hope die. Keep our courage and resilience strong, and renew within the Palestinian people the will and the hope for strategic peaceful resistance to on-going abuses. Lord, we cry out that the continuing Nakba of Palestinian dispossession and suffering must end! We pray for all Palestinians at home and abroad, especially refugees driven from their homes in 1948, they still long to return to their rightful homes. How long, O Lord, will this continue?
  Lord, in your mercy…

Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike wrote a letter on Tuesday to Pope Francis asking him to intervene with the Israeli government to help them achieve their demands. Approximately 1,500 Palestinian political prisoners are on their fifth week of a hunger strike, risking their lives in hopes of gaining basic rights in Israeli jails.

• Lord, we pray that the spirit of the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike remains strong specially as their health continues to deteriorate. We remember the mothers of the Palestinians prisoners and their pain.
  Lord in your mercy…

This week, Sabeel is hosting a session to train and follow up with twenty facilitators for bible studies. The meeting will be held in Jerusalem, and participants will come from 20 villages and cities in order to learn how to better lead contextual bible studies.

• Lord, we thank you for the gifts and commitment of the emerging leaders within the community who continue to reach out to others through their faith. Send your spirit to watch over those attending this training session, and help them to hear the message you would like them to hear.
  Lord, in your mercy…

Masked Israeli settlers attacked five international and Israeli activists as they accompanied Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank. The number of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian farmers have been on the rise recently, often under the protection of the Israeli army,

• Lord, we pray for hope in the midst of hopelessness. Grant us courage to continue to search for a raw of light in this darkness. We give thanks to all the people who stand in solidarity with our people on the margins. We pray for the quick recovery of the peace activists and for the awakening of the Israeli settler’s consciences.
  Lord in your mercy…

 

• We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.
  Lord in your mercy…

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Sabeel Wave of Prayer

UNESCO – United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – has endorsed a contentious resolution referring to Israel as the “occupying power” of Jerusalem. The agreement reaffirms the religious importance of the Holy City for Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The resolution said “all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying power, which have altered or purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem” will be “null and void and must be rescinded forthwith.”

• Lord, we pray that UN bodies, such as UNESCO, will continue to comply with the United Nations’ Charter and its relevant resolutions. Only that, will bring to an end the evil Israeli military occupation of Palestine. May all the peoples of the land soon enjoy freedom and safety.
  Lord in your mercy… 

On Sunday, the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted for the controversial Jewish State bill, which anchors in law, Israel’s status as a Jewish state. This bill will legitimize discrimination against the non-Jewish citizens of Israel who form more than 20% of its population.

• Lord, you have taught us numerous times, to stand against the unjust laws and fight for the values of democracy and equality. We pray that all the citizens of Israel will overcome racism and seek true equality regardless of ethnicity, religion, colour and gender.
  Lord in your mercy…

Last week, thousands of people gathered in Nelson Mandela Square in Ramallah to show support for the Palestinian prisoner hunger strikers. Nelson Mandela is viewed internationally as an icon against racism and an advocate for human rights. This week, many Palestinians and Internationals, including Church leaders and activists, plan to join a three day hunger strike as a show of solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners’ demands.

• Lord, we continue to pray for the steadfastness of the Palestinian prisoners as they hunger for their rightful demands. We also pray for our people not to be led into the temptation of arms and continue the commitment to nonviolent resistance.
  Lord in your mercy…

Israeli authorities demolished four Palestinian homes in three separate neighborhoods of occupied East Jerusalem last week for lacking nearly-impossible to obtain construction permits

• Lord, we pray for the families as they become homeless. God, give us hope to overcome the discriminatory policies of the Israeli occupation and remain stead fast in our city Jerusalem.
  Lord in your mercy…

 

• We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
  Lord in your mercy…

 

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Sabeel Wave of Prayer

 

On May 3^rd, U.S. President Donald Trump and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet at the White House. The two leaders will discuss ways to revive the peace process.

• Lord, we pray for courage as Mahmoud Abbas speaks truth to power at the white house this week. We pray that the Oval Office acts in favour of justice and peace and stops being an obstacle to our liberation.
  Leader: Lord in your mercy
  People:  Hear our prayers

Palestinian political prisoners enter the third week of their hunger strike. The hunger strike is against torture, ill treatment, and medical neglect of Palestinian political prisoners at the hands of the Israeli authorities, as well as Israel’s widespread use of administrative detention, which is only permitted under international law in extremely limited circumstances.

• Lord, we continue to pray for the Palestinian prisoners. May your words on the Mount of Beatitudes “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied” bring comfort to our Palestinian political prisoners.
  Lord in your mercy…

Last week, in the Negev region of southern Israel, Israeli forces demolished the Bedouin village of al-Araqib for the 112th time since 2010. This is the fourth time this year the village is destroyed.

• Lord, bless the people of the village with courage and patience to continue to rebuild their tents and remain steadfast on their land. Lord, we pray that the Israeli decision makers stop this insanity. We long to be in a world where cruelty and madness comes to an end.
  Lord in your Mercy…

The Palestinian Authority has declared that it will no longer pay for the electricity Israel supplies to Gaza. Decision to halt payments could lead to a complete power shutdown in Gaza. The decision comes as the World Bank warns of power outages deepening a humanitarian crisis. The World Bank said that power outages were “affecting vital services such as hospitals, clinics, water supplies, and household daily lives.”

• We pray for an end to the political divisions among Palestinians. Lord, help the people of good will to reconcile the Palestinian political leadership in both the West Bank and Gaza. May this year be the year that Palestinians stand fully united as they demand their rights and their liberation.
  Lord in your mercy…

Today, Thursday the 4^th of May, Sabeel will hold an ecumenical prayer service for Palestinian prisoners at the Little Sisters of Jesus Convent.  Also, many Churches throughout the West Bank and Israel continue to hold ecumenical services to lift up prayers in support of the just demands of the Palestinian prisoners’ strike.

• Lord, comfort the community as it comes together in prayer. We continue to pray for the rights of Palestinian prisoners to communicate with their families, the right for prisoners to continue their education behind bars, and for the right to have access to proper medical treatment.
  Lord in your mercy… 
• We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
  Lord in your mercy…

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

 

One thousand five hundred Palestinian prisoners continue with their hunger strike for the second week. Palestinian prisoners are refusing food in an effort to improve the deplorable conditions of the approximately 6,500 Palestinian political prisoners who are currently in Israeli jails.

• Lord, give us the power to stand in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners as they demand their basic rights. Give us the needed strength and courage not to abandon or shy away from their rightful demands. Remind us Lord, that you were once a prisoner when the powerful unjustly imprisoned you, and when your disciples abandoned you although they loved you.

          Leader: Lord in your mercy
          People: Hear our prayers

Last Sunday morning, Israeli forces closed the main entrance to a cluster of villages northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian communities are routinely subjected to arbitrary road closures by Israeli military forces for “security reasons,” an act which human rights groups have denounced as collective punishment.

• Lord, last Sunday the sick could not go to their doctors, the workers could not go to work, family gatherings were cancelled and worshipers could not go to Church. We pray for a day when the freedom of movement for the Palestinian communities becomes a reality.
  Lord in your mercy…

The Palestine Museum of Natural History – part of the Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) at Bethlehem University- opened to the public last week. The new museum currently holds more than 6,000 specimens of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. There are also thousands of photographs and other documentary material relating to fauna, flora, and human life in the area.

• Lord, you are the creator of all this universe. Help us God to understand that we are only a small part of this world, and that we should live peacefully with the rest of your creation. We give thanks to the dedication and commitment of the founders, staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to bring the museum to life. May your words, that Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as the lilies of the field, continue to humble us.
  Lord in your mercy…

Today, Thursday the 27^th of April, Sabeel will hold  an ecumenical prayer service for Palestinian prisoners at the Dominican Church in Jerusalem.  Also, many Churches throughout the West Bank and Israel are holding ecumenical services to lift up prayers in support of the demands of the Palestinian prisoners’ strike.

• Lord, comfort the community as it comes together in prayer. We especially pray for the rights of Palestinian prisoners to communicate with their families, the right for prisoners to continue their education behind bars, and for the right to have access to proper medical treatment.
  Lord in your mercy…

 

• We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
  Lord in your mercy…

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Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Monday, April 17^th, is the day dedicated for Palestinian Prisoner’s.  In commemoration of this day, over 1,200 Palestinian prisoners launched an open ended hunger strike to protest Israeli measures and demand for their basic human rights to be respected.  We watch with great expectation of God’s mercy on six thousand Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails.

• Lord, the writer of Hebrews asks us to remember those in prison as if we were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if we are the ones suffering(Hebrews 13:3). Lord, grant Palestinian prisoners the courage to continue with their strike until their rightful demands are met.
  Lord in your mercy…
• We pray to an end to the routine humiliation during roll-calls and transfers of Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli prison guards.
  Lord in your mercy…
• We pray to an end to the arbitrary denial of family’s rights to visit Palestinian prisoners.
  Lord in your mercy…
• We pray to an end to the inhumane use of solitary confinement towards Palestinian prisoners.
  Lord in your mercy…
• God, we continue to remember the Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. We ask your spirit to guide us to mobilize the efforts of the peacemakers to set the captives free and to put an end to this occupation.
  Lord in your mercy…
• We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine.
  Lord in your mercy…