Woe to you, destroyer - prayer for peace

Woe to you, destroyer,
      you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
      you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
      you will be destroyed;
when you stop betraying,
      you will be betrayed.
Lord, be gracious to us;
      we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
      our salvation in time of distress.
      Isaiah 33:1-2 (NIV)

The prophet cries out, warning at the disaster which is to come. War respects no one.

Look, their brave men cry aloud in the streets;
      the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
The highways are deserted,
      no travelers are on the roads.
The treaty is broken,
      its witnesses are despised,
      no one is respected.
The land dries up and wastes away...
      Isaiah 33:1-2 (NIV)


Hamas rockets, Israeli bombs - no one is respected

We pray for the peace of Jerusalem, O God, and for that of Gaza, of Damascus and all of Syria, of Kabul and Afghanistan, of Washington D.C. and the United States of America, of this whole beloved earth, your creation. Restrain the hands of all who would do violence, and raise up peacemakers, that your people may live in wholeness and know the blessings of peace. We thank you for every kindness and every work of justice, and pray that your reign is near, in Jesus name. Amen.

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