Prayer for Holy Land

Merciful God! You are the source that in Jesus Christ became for us the water of life, the living water, and in baptism the water of rebirth.

Merciful God! You are the source that in Jesus Christ became for us the water of life, the living water, and in baptism the water of rebirth. 
We come to You as the lost and confused, asking for Your blessing and constant protection over our Sisters and Brothers in faith in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. We return again and again as the Church to those places where You revealed Your Mysteries to us and, like a loving Mother, showed forbearance and forgiveness to us – the erring and confused. 
We ask You to protect Your Church in this special Land, which is an instrument of Your Gospel in a world shattered by wars, misunderstanding and destructive notions of the temporal power of empires. In the Land where You displayed Your Power and Might, but also the quiet and gentle force of Grace, people are now separated by armies, barbed wire and visible and invisible walls.  
We ask You that our Sisters and Brothers living in deep diaspora among Christians of other traditions and people of different religions, may be able to draw strength from Your Word and Sacraments to creatively and credibly compose a melody about forgiveness, reconciliation and understanding. 
We ask you for all of these people, living in the midst of the stormy sea of the world, to persevere and help them, so that they can an inspiration and a living witness to the Gospel of Your Son, and our Lord and Brother – Jesus Christ. Amen