A Prayer for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

This post was originally published on Do Justice in 2017

The Canadian Indigenous Ministry Committee of the Christian Reformed Church invites you to pray along with us for the findings of the inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and all women affected:

Creator God, we pray for Love. We thank you for the love that these families and communities hold for their daughters, mothers, grandmothers, aunties, sisters, cousins, and friends. We mourn with them. We pray for all those who lives are marked by trauma because of these murders and disappearances. Hold them in love, Abba. Catch every tear that falls.

Creator God, we pray for Honesty. May those who have information about the whereabouts of these women and girls be moved to share it.

Creator God, we pray for Humility. Give Canadians the humility to open their hearts to hear stories from this country that are not celebratory; stories of colonization, racism, and marginalization.

Creator God, we pray for Wisdom. May the leaders of the inquiry and all those who direct them have the wisdom that comes only from you to listen deeply and make wise recommendations, so that we may all heal together.

Creator God, we pray for Respect. May the families who share their pain and perspectives with the inquiry be treated with respect—may the inquiry be centered on their needs.

Creator God, we pray for Truth. These stories are far from simple and clear-cut. May the truth of the impacts that Indigenous women bear become clear.

Creator God, we pray for Courage. For families and community members testifying. For inquiry commissioners crafting recommendations. For civil society organizations holding the inquiry to its mandate. For Canadians, as we prepare to listen to these stories and to advocate for action on its recommendations. For our political leaders, as they prepare to respond to the recommendations.   

To learn more about this pattern of violence and continue praying for all those affected, download a prayer guide from the Canadian Indigenous Ministry Committee.