In this guide, we will:
- Get informed
- Pause and prepare our hearts
- Pray for people
- Pray for problems
- Pray for those in power
- Pray for principalities
- Pray for the church
- Optional: You may want to have your Bible and pen and paper to help you work through the guide.
Get Informed
Gather the basics of the story from a few trustworthy sources.
When it comes to big conflicts, there are often many different points of view on the situation. This means that when you’re gathering information, you may want to look at a few different news sources.
It’s helpful to determine the main points. You might like to ask yourself these questions: What’s happening? Where? Who is affected? Who are the key leaders and who will be responding? What are the needs right now?
When you have the main facts, sit with the Holy Spirit for a moment and invite Him to share His heart for the situation with you.
Pause
Be still and welcome God’s presence.
You might like to sit somewhere comfortable and take a few deep breaths, or pray a simple, short prayer such as “God, I welcome your presence” or “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Pray through Psalm 46
Read the whole Psalm out loud once or twice, before using it to form the basis of your prayers.
Pray for People
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1
Pray for the people who are being affected by this conflict:
For those who have their lost families, friends and loved ones.
For those who have been displaced from their homes.
For those who are cut off from key resources like food, water, and medical care.
For those who are in danger.
Keep praying
The Inner Room app is a prayer list app that turns your mobile phone into a prayer room. Use it to create a prayer board on this topic, and set regular reminders to pray throughout your week.
Pray for the Problems
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
Psalm 46:6
When people turn to violence, it’s often because they feel that there is no other solution to their problems. As you look at this situation, what are the problems that only God can fix? Ask God to intervene – changing the circumstances that led to war breaking out and solving the problems that people are facing in the midst of the conflict. These are big prayers to pray, but we believe in God who has changed the course of history before, and who invites us to pray with confidence.
You might like to pray:
Where there is a history of pain, we ask for You to bring forgiveness.
Where there is injustice, we ask for You to bring fairness and a just solution.
Where there are differences, we ask for You to bring reconciliation.
Where there is not enough (land, resources, opportunity), we ask for You to bring provision.
These are broad categories to help prompt your prayer – you may want to be very specific about the problems that have led to the specific conflict you are praying for.
Keep praying
Print out a map of the area affected by war and write your prayers for God’s intervention on the map. Put it somewhere you’ll see it regularly – on your fridge or in your Bible, perhaps – as a reminder to keep praying for these circumstances to change.
Pray for those in Power
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
Psalm 46:9
Who are the decision makers that can impact the story to bring peace?
Pray for mercy, compassion and wisdom as they deal with the situation, and pray that they would be governed by love and the desire for peace instead of hatred and fear.
For politicians, both for the leaders in the nations that are directly affected by the conflict and for the leaders of nations who can affect the outcome.
For peacemakers working to bring resolution between forces.
For the powerful businesses and stakeholders who have the ability to change the course of the conflict.
For the media, both the journalists risking their lives to report on the situation and the media companies that are choosing what wars and conflicts to cover in their news.
Keep praying
Write a leader’s name on a post-it note and put it somewhere you’ll see it in your daily routine as a reminder to keep praying for them to lead people to peace.
Pray for the Principalities
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12
There are spiritual realities involved in human conflicts.
Jesus has ultimate authority over every ‘spiritual force of evil’ in our world. You may want to spend some time praying against the darkness that is enflaming fear, hatred, and violence in people’s hearts. Begin to praise God for who He is and ask for the Prince of Peace to bring miraculous transformation to minds and hearts, resolving the conflict.
Keep praying
Choose a worship song that sings of Jesus’s victory over darkness and evil. Listen to it throughout your week – you might want to add it to a playlist – and when it plays, spend a few moments praying for God to bring peace to the conflict.
Pray for the Church
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10
Pray for the Church
Both for the members of God’s family who are caught up in conflict, and for the brothers and sisters who are able to help them. Pray for protection, comfort, and courage for the churches in nations touched by war. Pray for pastors, churches and non-government organisations; that they would be equipped with all they need in the situation to bring relief.
