Clergy from left, Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, retired; Pastor Nicolé Ferry, Associate Rector Lynn Finnegan and Pastor Deb Church. Courtesy photo

By Rev. Deb Beloved Church
White Rock Presbyterian Church

According to one news source (NBCNews.com), updated at 8:41 p.m. MST, Oct. 19, 2023, since the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas on Thursday, Oct. 7, “More than 3,700 people have been killed and more than 13,000 have been injured in Gaza. In Israel, 1,400 people have been killed and 3,500 have been wounded.”

That’s more than 20,000 people, killed or wounded, in less than two weeks, with far too many of those being women and children. Additionally, over a million people have been displaced, according to the UN. Surely, by the time you’re reading this, those numbers will have increased.

It’s so overwhelming to consider, so painful to take in… The vastness of the violence seems incomprehensible, and the depth of the suffering, inconceivable…

And in the face of it all, I do not know how to pray…

I am not the first. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wrote, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26, NRSV)

Groanings too deep for words–that’s what I feel in my soul in the face of this most current crisis. To all for whom this is true, I offer this prayer, shared by the United Reformed Church:

“O Lord, we hear the news and don’t know what to say, we see those scenes of violence and don’t know how to pray; we read of people fighting over the Land and know it was ever thus.

“We see the surprise and shock, hear the cries for revenge, taste the violence begetting more pain and sorrow, and touch the bitterness of oppression and loss breeding yet more violence; a vicious circle that destroys life and land leading to despair and hopelessness.

“We hear of international outrage and messages of support, but know there’s more to this complex story of land, justice, faith, security, and history than can be encapsulated in easy sound bites.

“We watch, listen, read, and try to pray but there are no words in us.

“Lord, You told us not to kill; a commandment venerated and wrestled with by Jews, Christians, and Muslims; a hard commandment: one we always want some wiggle room with yet today we see Your children killing each other.

“Violence as a weapon of oppression, purporting to be a weapon of protest, seeking to be a bargaining chip, disfigures our humanity, distorts our perception, and disables our discipleship.

“In these desperate times, Lord, give strength to those who work for peace: diplomats and governments calling for restraint, the Red Cross offering to visit all who are detained, faith leaders proclaiming Your commandments in a world at war and peace lovers praying for justice.

“Bind up the broken hearted, give grace to those seeking to end the spiral of violence, grant wisdom to those seeking peaceful ways to resolve age old conflicts; and give us the prayers, words, and perseverance needed to make our discipleship, our efforts for peace and justice count. Amen.”

And amen. Holy God, may it be so.