Today I have been praying for peace. For the war in Gaza, the war in Ukraine and for all situations of conflict in the world.
As part of this time of prayer I have created several paintings and written two prayers of lamentation.
Oh God our protector
Your love never fails to bless the world
Why does hatred endure?
We fail to accept your loving grace and forgive those who hurt us
We beseech thee, bring peace into conflict, protecting the innocent
We praise you in our hope for a world without hostility
Amen
God of peace
You detest war and call for understanding
Help the world resolve conflict and find forgiveness of each other, as children of GodÂ
We thank you for your grace and blessing
Amen
The process of writing prayers of lament, expressing our sorrow and asking for God's help, is cathartic. There are two structures of a poem or prayer of lament which I use.
Seven part lament
- Address to God
- Review of God's faithfulness in the past
- The complaint
- A confession of sin or claim of innocence
- A request for help
- God's response (not always included)
- A vow to praise or a statement of trust in God
Three part lament
- Protest: Tell God what is wrong
- Petition: Tell God what you would like done about it
- Praise: Expression of trust in God, based on God's character and previous action, even if you can’t see how that will happen
Why don't you have a go at writing your own prayer/poem/psalm following one of these structures, or any you'd like. I would love to read them and pray them so please post them in the comments or on my social media.