Give A Thought to Tigray
/January 17, 2022
Scripture
Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
(Luke11:2-4 NLT)
Give A Thought to Tigray
The other morning, I read through the newspapers quite quickly because I don’t spend much time on the page after page of commentary and news about how we are coping or not with the spread of the virus. I had to hunt for international news, and one article in The Guardian on Friday had me grieving.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday that it would be distributing its last supplies of cereals, pulses and oil next week to Tigray, where more than 5 million people are estimated to be in need of food assistance…. It is also increasingly worried about hunger levels in the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar, where more than 4 million people are thought to be in need of food assistance. (January 14,2020 The Guardian)
The conflict between Tigrayan and Ethiopian forces has closed access to food, medicine and fuel to provide life-giving aid to millions of people caught up in it all. The heart of the Creator would say yes to the prayer “give us this day our daily bread” And I’m trying to figure out how I help answer that prayer.
Jesus instructed us to pray for daily bread because that was his Father’s desire -in our preoccupation with our own needs we need eyes open to broader needs that Jesus would have us respond to in generosity.
A Prayer for Today
God of light and kindness, you came among us in the Bread of God who brings life to the world. We are so preoccupied with our own needs that we easily ignore the great unfairness in our world. We pray for places of conflict that forgiveness would come and the temptation to use power to destroy would be defeated and life-giving daily food would flow. Give us compassionate and generous hearts to answer your prayer …. for Jesus’ sake.
