World Prayers for Nov. 1-7: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda

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Maize is a staple crop in Rwanda. Crystaline Randazzo for Bread for the World.

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 Nov. 1-7: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda

Lord, you call on us to pray for our enemies.
Have mercy on those who are disposed to do us evil
and who divide your church.
Deliver us, Lord, from every temptation.
Have mercy on our lack of belief and our wavering faith
as we travel the path towards the unity of your people.
You are our God and we want always to be your people
under the guidance of your Holy Spirit.
(Prayer by the group from Zaire who prepared for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 1993)

O God,
the source of our belonging to one another,
none of us can give anything to our sisters and brothers
if we have not first of all belonged to you;
give us your Spirit in the bond of perfect unity
so that the Spirit may transform us into a new humanity,
free and united in your love,
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who is God,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end.
(New Roman Missal, Democratic Republic of Congo)

Percentage of the population of these countries living below the national poverty line (2014 figures):

Burundi: Not available
Democratic Republic of Congo: Not available
Rwanda: 44.9

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators as found in the 2015 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: Maize is a staple crop in Rwanda. It can be dried and stored with little product loss. Crystaline Randazzo for Bread for the World.

 

 

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