Prayer for the People in the Land of Papua
There is no place where you cannot reach,
God who made the heavens and the earth.
There is no journey which you have not travelled,
God who is with us, Jesus the Christ.
There are no people beyond your care,
God who is the Spirit, the Comforter.
Stay with the people in Papua now, with your love and kindness;
Lighten their darkness with your consolation and blessing.
When their voices and resources are taken away,
it is to the governments that they have turned with their questions
When their dignity and freedom are endangered,
It is to God and friends in Christ that they have turned for reassurance and comfort.
We pray for
eyes that are open to see what Jesus sees,
ears that are open to truly hear,
hearts that are open to love as Christ loved,
and lives that respond to our neighbour’s crying.
Today, we pray for ourselves
and all those with power to pray and help,
the local and national governments in Indonesia,
the companies that extract resources from the land
our partner the Evangelical Christian Church in the Land of Papua.
Let them walk together within God’s goodness,
act justly, relieve suffering, sustain life and rebuild the communities.
Hear our prayers this day
for we pray in the name of Jesus
whose arms were outstretched on the Cross
to embrace all people.
Amen.
This prayer was written in response to recent correspondence with the Evangelical Christian Church in the Land of Papua (Gereja Kristen Injili Di Tanah Papua ‘GKI-TP’) on political tensions in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.
(Rewritten by Rev Dr Ji Zhang, Manager Church Partnerships – Asia. The prayer is adapted from Dorothy McRae-McMahon, Prayers for Life’s Particular Moments, p.99)