Join us in prayer this month.
Download the Prayer Diary as a PDF
God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.
His tent is in Salem,
his dwelling-place in Zion.
There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.
You are radiant with light,
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
The valiant lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
At your rebuke, God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot lie still.
Psalm 76.1-6 (NIV)
I wonder if a historical event lies behind these verses. If so, did the people of Israel see God as helping them in a conventional battle against their enemies, or did God intervene in a more supernatural way? Commentators suggest that the Psalm refers to the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib (see 2 Kings 19 or Isaiah 37), in which the angel of the Lord eliminated the enemy army overnight. Whether or not this Psalm was meant to reflect such an event, we believe that God’s ultimate desire is to rid the world of weapons and bring about perfect peace. Through our prayer and actions, we aim to bring that to fulfilment, not by destroying our enemies, but by loving them.
We pray:
- in whatever way we are led by the God of peace; may we become more deeply aligned with God’s desire for peace and harmony
- that world leaders would seek to de-escalate conflicts around the world and not make nuclear threats (see Storm Shadow)
- for the planning and launch of CND’s People not Nukes campaign
- for the United Nations, and especially on 26 September for their International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons; may their message of hope be heard above the din of sabre rattling and the despair of those who think deterrence is the best we can hope for
- for our fellowship within CCND, and the plans for our conference and AGM in October
A prayer
We pray for the courage to respond to Jesus’ call to live non-violently.
We pray for the courage and creativity to challenge the policies that oppose nuclear disarmament.
We pray for the courage to question and challenge those things which oppress our sisters and brothers – poverty, violence, indifference…
We celebrate and encourage those who work for peace, especially those who have attended the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty negotiations.
We pray that we will root ourselves through prayer and reflection in the teaching of the non-violent Jesus.
