What to do first? A prayer for peace

Precious Creator,
Who loves us all more than we can love,
We worry that we will lose our jobs or homes tomorrow, some of us
Already have. We are afraid
We will be hungry today or in our old age,
As our bank accounts and retirement funds disappear.

These are not trivial fears, dear God, we worry
About our children, and the
National debt, but can we imagine
Not being able to go out
To work, or to find work or something to eat,
Because we might be hit by a bomb
Or raped by an enemy?

How can we begin to "fix the economy,"
When people, beloved by God,
Have lived for months, cramped
In small household bathrooms
With three other people,
Fearing
That, if they leave,
They may be killed?

How can we create a more productive,
Secure world for ourselves,
While, at the same time, we kill
Other people, their children,
And their parents,
Or we allow it, in Iraq,
Afghanistan, Gaza, Darfur, and
Democratic Republic of Congo,
Places where God also lives?

Dear God,
In this first hundred days,
In the last hundred days, and in the
Hundreds of days
In between,
I pray
We can create peace. --Susan

This prayer was written during participation in an octave of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for peace in Gaza and Southern Israel, initiated by the Episcopal-Muslim Relations Committee of the Diocese of New York, Jan. 18-25, 2009.