Wednesday, 9 March 2022

How do I pray for Ukraine...?

Some things seem so big, so overwhelming that is difficult to know what to pray. Like the situation in Ukraine... The Psalms are a good place to start. There we find strong emotions: doubt, fear, dispair, depression anxiety and ultimately Hope all expressed. Psalm 31 is such a Psalm. Many will have seen the moving short video of Ukrainians reading this Psalm in their bunkers. See: https://bit.ly/3IQi2Pv v21 says: "He showed me the wonders of His love when I was in a city under seige". Other Psalms too have similar strong emotions: Psalm 27v3 "Though an army beseige me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident". The 24-7 Prayer resourse Lectio 365 can help us when we are unsure what to pray. This is a Prayer for Ukraine which we can read out loud: https://www.24-7prayer.com/the-latest/ The Roman Catholic tradition of simple repeat prayers can help too: "Lord Have Mercy, Lord Have Mercy, Lord Have Mercy" (also known as The Kyrie Eleison). For others sitting in silence or quietly weeping are equally powerful forms of prayer. What helps have you found...?

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