25 January 2022

Resource: Prayer for Afghanistan

Dear friends,

In light of the recent announcement by the Australian government not to grant a special additional intake of refugees from Afghanistan, I invite you to use this prayer in either your personal or corporate time with God.

Rev. Tim Costello

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God whose heart loves the stranger and refugee, we have been so moved by the plight of Afghans and the fears of those among them trying to flee the Taliban.

Today we mourn with our Afghan brothers and sisters, particularly those here in Australia. We feel their deep disappointment of hopes raised and then dashed, that Australia would have a generous humanitarian intake in this time of need for their homeland. We understand that grief that not one additional place was added to Australia’s humanitarian program for Afghans seeking to flee the Taliban takeover.

We confess our nation’s shame in not shouldering the same generosity shown by the US, the UK and Canada who we fought alongside for 20 years in Afghanistan. 

We pray for the 100,000 Afghans who applied for visas after Kabul fell. We know you see them, that you know their names and that you love them.

As Christians, united for the stranger, we pray for our leaders and decision-makers. We pray that our Government will repent and change their mind. That their instincts for generosity after the fall of Kabul will be re-ignited and lead to significant action.

God of love, protector of vulnerable women and children, we cry out to you on behalf of our nation to touch all of our hearts and align them with your heart.

In your name we pray and trust,

Amen