Prayer for Damascus

Camellia Garden, Norfolk Botanical Gardens.  Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

They have healed the brokenness of my people

superficially, saying, “Peace, peace,”

 but there is no peace.

Jeremiah 6:14

I have always wanted to visit the Holy Land – to be able to say, “I walked today where Jesus walked” as the song so vividly proclaims.  My girls’ dad spent three months in Jerusalem when he was in seminary, and the photographs he brought home (as well as the stories) were absolutely amazing.  It took him awhile to get used to the soldiers armed with an uzi on every corner of the city, but he quickly learned that their presence was a normal part of everyday life in much of the Middle East.

Today Damascus is awash with grief and tension as they bury their friends, acquaintances, loved ones and strangers who were victims of yesterday’s suicide bombing in the al-Midan quarter of the city.  This tragedy coincided with the beginning of celebrations of Orthodox Christmas by Syrian Christians; the explosion, the second such bombing in two weeks, left 26 dead and 63 injured.  Yesterday, 35 people lost their lives in confrontations with security forces, and 10 individuals have already died today in such clashes, as the conflict between protestors and the ruling political regime in Syria threatens to break into full-scale war.

We who do not live in that culture/society cannot fully understand the political and religious undercurrents that constantly threaten to drown this volatile region of the world. We can, however, pray for the people – for their grief and loss, for their fear and courage, and for some measure – any measure – of peace in their lives.