Bishop Samuel Kayinamura of the Free Methodist Church in Rwanda, lived through the genocide in his country during the1990s and shares his prayer for peace.
Prince of Peace, King of Compassion,
you call your people into holiness of heart
and life and send us to be signs of your reconciling love in the world.
We pray for lands like Rwanda, where deep wounds still shape the present
and where the hills remember the cries of the past.
Let your Spirit breathe healing into hidden trauma;
let forgiveness become a daily practice,
and let reconciliation grow into a way of life.
Teach hearts to trust again, to rebuild community from what was once torn apart,
and to find courage in grace where silence once carried unbearable weight.
We pray for places like Gaza, Lebanon and Iran,
where conflict tightens its grip and hope feels fragile.
Let your peace fall like rain on dry land; soften the dust of despair;
shield the innocent; steady the hands of all who long to build rather than destroy.
May hope rise in the cracks left by violence,
and may compassion become the language that outlives the sound of war.
In Christ, our Peace and our Hope.
Amen.