Conflict in the Middle East: a message from Bishop Paul Smith

These past days, we have been confronted with the news of the bombing of Iran by Israel and the USA, and of the Iranian response to the bombing. Our primary calling is to join in prayer to commend this situation of conflict to our Lord. This military action has tremendous potential to draw in global powers and cause harm on an extraordinarily wide scale. We are sent by the Lord to ‘seek peace and pursue it’.

Psalm 46 promises, ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’

I have provided a brief guide for praying, as well as a variety of resources for devotion at this time.

‘Come Lord Jesus come, Into our weary world.
O how we long for you to come, Lord, come!’

The following are some prayer pointers for you and your communities.

God of love, justice and peace, we pray for:

• political and military leaders, upon whose word lives are saved or taken; we pray that they will truly understand and appreciate the weight of moral responsibility they bear
• a swift end to military action and a renewed effort from all parties with a stake in this conflict to address the tensions between them through good-faith dialogue, genuine attempts to understand each other’s concerns, and flexibility in negotiations
• the people in Iran and for the people of the Middle East who are most at risk while hostilities continue
• soldiers involved in this conflict and their families at home
• humanitarian organisations as they mobilise to meet people’s essential needs
• people displaced by conflict, and for people of goodwill, offering them shelter.