It might seem a bit cheeky to quote from a resource published by the Church of England, but I’m not sure we as a ‘denomination’ have any similar advice! I was investigating intercessory prayer and found three interesting and valid points: we are helping to lead others in prayer, not simply praying in public; the language used should match that normally used in worship of each particular church; intercessions are not a ‘shopping list’ of concerns, nor a news report, nor a chance to offer a personal opinion – intercessory prayers are appeals to God who already knows what we are concerned about.
The reflection today is a topical one, and I was pondering about things other than the pandemic! I wondered how many conflicts were going on around the world - which are no longer headline news. Carefully avoiding Mr Wiki and his family, I visited an A level Sociology revision site which suggested there is ongoing conflict in over three dozen countries, including: Sudan (Dafur); Congo (Kivu); the Mexican drug war; Nigeria; Syria; Yemen; Myanmar (Rohingya); and also the war on terror. Although we cannot necessarily trust the statistics that the countries themselves give, the highest death toll in 2020 was actually in Mexico, with over 50,000 deaths.
So, how should we pray for these war-torn areas, either at home or in public? Mother Teresa reportedly said: “I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things”. Obviously, we should pray for those caught up in conflicts of all kinds, but to change things we need to pray for peace.
In 1955 Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller wrote the hymn/song: “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me”. Since then the words have been tinkered with so that “God as our Father” becomes “God as creator”; “brothers” becomes “family”; and even secular versions exist “with Earth as our Mother” or “with love as our compass”. Yet I don’t remember when I last sang it in church! Is it too simple, or not theologically accurate?
We often think that we are wasting our time praying for some situations, as change never seems to happen. Maybe we wonder how Christians in the UK praying for peace, expecting a change in us, will bring about peace around the world. I don’t know how or whether it will work, but it’s a bit risky not to try, isn’t it?
Jesus, Prince of Peace, we bring before you the thousands of people suffering in wars around the world. We don’t know their individual needs but we do know that they are in distress.
Creative Heavenly Father, give us wisdom to spot those times when our prayer should lead to action.
Holy Spirit, search within us for areas where we find peace difficult, where we would rather ignore situations that are painful, and where we resist changing our own attitudes and behaviour.
Trinitarian God, we pray “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me”. Amen
Elaine Kinchin