THE 21ST CENTURY WAR PRAYER: "WE ASK YOU FOR MERCY..."

By Tish  Harrison Warren

New York Times Opinion Writer

(People have sent me many prayers for Ukraine. I’ll close with a prayer that was offered by a woman after evacuating from Ukraine. She has asked that her name be withheld. Her husband is a Ukrainian pastor, and she noted that his family is currently in occupied territory and she is unable to have contact with them.) 

She wrote:

"Father-God, may the attackers’ fingers freeze; may they drop things; may they not see clearly; may their equipment malfunction; may they experience overwhelming hopelessness, enormous fatigue and a complete loss of any desire to fight; may their communication be broken; may there be confusion. Lead them to surrender. 

Stretch the kilometers before them into endless kilometers of nonadvancement. Remove their leadership and replace them with people who make decisions that reflect a fear of you.

Oh, God, infuse defenders with incredible surges of renewed alertness, strength, hope, courage. Inspire those who want to help. Show them specific, effective ideas. Move them swiftly and safely.

The worst is yet to come, Lord, if you do not stop it. But please, no peace where there is no peace. We ask for peace united with righteousness and truth.

God of all comfort, be physically present with all the mothers, fathers, grandparents and children who are hiding, hearing, smelling, enduring. Warm them; fill them with food; give them water, toilets, communication with their loved ones, the Gospel, hope in you.

We repent of making idols of political leaders and news outlets. 

Forgive us for wanting them to be our gods and saviors. 

Forgive us for being unreasonable, for not wanting to admit both the good and bad in all of our leaders. It is this spirit that leads us to dictators because we abandon responsibility and reason. We confess the seeds of war that live in our own hearts.

We humble our hearts, our bodies. We ask you for mercy. Thank you that you love mercy and have all power."

To read entire opinion, click on link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/13/opinion/ukraine-war-prayers.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20220314&instance_id=55736&nl=the-morning&regi_id=118696256&segment_id=85512&te=1&user_id=e686a99f0675424fa8b39ab931759509

AND BEFORE, MARK TWAIN'S (RUSSIA'S?) WAR PRAYER:

“O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle – be Thou near them! With them – in spirit – we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe.

"O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; 

Help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire;

"Help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit,

"...worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it – for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord...

"...blast their hopes,

"...blight their lives,

"...protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet!

We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen."