As events in Ukraine continue to spiral out of control and two million people needing shelter, rescue and hope have fled the country, Psalm 27 seems a good starting point for intercessions. Use some or all of the following sections, as appropriate in your context. If you are not singing/reading Psalm 27 in your worship, the Taizé chant ‘The Lord is my light’ (Words and music; YouTube) could be used before or after the prayers, or between the sections.
Save us, O Lord,
from the darkness all around us;
from the darkness within our own hearts;
from the noontide danger
and the shadows of the night.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
In all areas of unresolved conflict in our troubled world,
where deep-seated grievances and complex history collide,
where shattered lives and destroyed cities are the evidence for our wars
and we feel helpless at so much brokenness:
God of our hope, we place our trust in you.
Help us to walk in your light.
In political decision making on energy, security, aid and sanctions,
where true leadership and wisdom matter,
when government should meet the needs (and not the wants) of the people,
when costly decisions are needed,
and self-interest needs to be set aside for the good of others:
God of our hope, we place our trust in you.
Help us to walk in your light.
In freezing temperatures, as snow falls,
when the homeless, refugees and frightened families shiver in distress,
when our visa policy is too complex and bureaucratic to save the desperate
when, in our relatively affluent country, some go hungry
and many with homes are struggling to stay warm amid rising energy costs,
we know that change is needed:
God of our hope, we place our trust in you.
Help us to walk in your light.
In our relative security and safety in this country.
where we are tempted to trust in our own strength,
when our compassion fails,
when we lack the imagination to walk in the shoes of the dispossessed,
and we lose sight of our own dependence on you:
God of our hope, we place our trust in you.
Help us to walk in your light.
In the mountains of our possessions,
when we spend, acquire and accumulate things that do not lead to life,
and are obsessed with more, bigger and better we forget the needs of others:
God of our hope, we place our trust in you.
Help us to walk in your light.
In the tangled conflicts at home, school or work in which we are trapped,
when we cannot give in and the desire to win is greater than our search for a resolution,
soften our stubborn hearts, we pray:
God of our hope, we place our trust in you.
Help us to walk in your light.
In the absence of safety and home,
when refugees flee to the borders in the pauses between shelling,
when a humanitarian crisis is building and families are torn apart and we fear the fresh horrors of the news:
God of our hope, we place our trust in you.
Help us to walk in your light.
In all our dreams and longings,
where freedom itself is at stake,
and we yearn for a better, fairer and kinder world,
teach us to seek your face and listen to your voice
in all our ways and for all of our days:
God of our hope, we place our trust in you.
Help us to walk in your light.
Save us, O Lord,
from the darkness all around us;
from the darkness within our own hearts;
from the noontide danger
and the shadows of the night.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord. Amen.