Prayer for Türkiye and Syria

As we gather this week in worship and in prayer, we are confronted by the disaster following the earthquake in Türkiye and northern Syria.

As the death toll passes 12,000 people, and the physical devastation is confronting, we are mindful of those whose lives have been changed irrevocably. People are overwhelmed with grief at what is happening before them, as they try to survive the chaos. There will be years ahead of recovery and rebuilding; the grief alone is almost overwhelming.

This will not be over within a news cycle; our prayers and support will be needed for many months ahead.

We will pray, and I offer a prayer, below. We need to pray for our friends around us in the church and community who are from the Middle East, whose lives and families and communities are affected. Don’t simply pray for them; call them, offer them your support.

We can also offer financial support through the National Council of Churches of Australia.

Prayer

O God, our God, the world is not what it was;
the ground has shifted,
the earth has taken people we knew and loved
and we don’t know what to do,
or how to understand.

Hear our grief,
hear our lostness,
hear our prayer. 

We pray for the people of Türkiye and Syria,
as they are addressed by chaos.
As they act to save others, to provide safety,
to recover those who have died,
be present in all the destruction,
in grief, in calamity,
in every sign of hope and life.

Hear our grief,
hear our lostness,
hear our prayer. 

Urge governments to act, especially in Türkiye and Syria,
and in every nation,
that resources might be made available,
for hope, for recovery.

Hear our grief,
hear our lostness,
hear our prayer. 

Spirit with us, keep us mindful of our neighbours,
welcomed from that region of your world,
that we might share meals, and grief,
and stories with them,
offering them hope and hospitality
in their bewilderment.

Hear our grief,
hear our lostness,
hear our prayer. 

We pray, in time, that you lead these nations, these families,
these people, to life again;
holding their grief,
and enabling them to know your presence
is with them in every aspect of their lives,
even in their worst moments.

Hear our grief,
hear our lostness,
hear our prayer. 

May the hope we find in the risen, crucified Lord,
find them now and every day.
Through Christ we pray.

Amen.