Bread for the World believes prayer is central to the work of ending hunger by 2030. Hunger happens in every corner of the world. In this blog series, we will provide a prayer for a different group of countries each week and their efforts to end hunger.
This prayer series will follow the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, a list compiled by the World Council of Churches that enables Christians around the world to journey in prayer through every region of the world, affirming our solidarity with Christians all over the world, brothers and sisters living in diverse situations, experiencing their challenges and sharing their gifts.
We will especially be lifting up in prayer the challenges related to hunger and poverty that the people of each week’s countries face. In prayer, God’s story and our own story connect—and we and the world are transformed. In a prayer common to all of us—the Lord’s Prayer/the Our Father—we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This line from this prayer can also be a prayer for the end of hunger.
We invite you to join Bread in our prayers for the world’s countries to end hunger. And we encourage you to share with us your prayers for the featured countries of the week or for the end of hunger in general.
For the week of Jan. 3 – 9: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Merciful Lord God,
you are peace, concord, purity and goodness.
You are the Father and Lord of all who cherish thoughts of peace.
Grant us humility, hope and a steadfast faith.
Enable us to vie with one another in love,
since love is the fulfilment of the law;
and, as we become sons and daughters of peace and concord,
worthy to be called blessed by your Son,
may we be salt of the earth and light to the world.
(Cyril of Jerusalem, 315-386)
Percentage of the population of these countries living below the national poverty line:
Egypt: 25.2
Syria: Not available
Lebanon: Not available
Jordan: 14.4
Israel: Not available
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators as found in the 2016 Hunger Report.
Prayer is a central part of Bread for the World’s work. Learn more about how you can get involved with prayer at Bread.
Photo: Syrian refugees resting on the floor at the Keleti railway station in Budapest, Hungary. Wikimedia Commons.
