Dear Praying Friend,

Hearts are broken in the Holy Land.
‘The blood-dimmed tide is loosed,
And everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned’ (W.B.Yeats)

 The words of the prophet Jeremiah come to mind:
‘We looked for peace but no good came;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror.’ (Jeremiah 9.15)

 With 11,078 killed (13^th November) including 4,506 children, 27,490 injured and 1.6 million internally displaced in Gaza and 198 health professionals killed, please join with us as we pray for all the people of the Holy Land, torn apart by the ravages of sin. We invite you to have in your hearts the prayer of Daniel:

 ‘O Lord, hear, O Lord, forgive, O Lord, listen and act and do not delay.’                                                                                                              (chapter 9 verse 19)

Please hold in your hearts the bereaved, the injured and despairing;
the medical personnel, and administrators of the hospitals;
the Al-Ahli Hospital and other Christian institutions struggling to maintain the service they provide; 
the Aid Agencies and the delivery of essential medical supplies;
the homeless and the helpless;
leaders of the nations as they struggle to find a path to a ceasefire;
for seeds of hope.

Lord, Jesus,
while you hung in agony,
in your innocence crucified,
you cried to your Father,
‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’
In the midst of such deep darkness
be among the suffering in your Land,
and be the Light in the darkness.
Lord, have mercy. Amen.

Thank you for your invaluable support in daily prayer.

Revd John Reese (FHL Volunteer Prayer and Spirituality )