God of peace,
as tensions rise and violence spreads,
we bring you a world that feels too easily set alight.

We pray for all who are caught in the crossfire –
for children woken by fear,
for families holding one another through the night,
for those grieving, injured, displaced,
and for all whose fear is growing
because of what may come next,
as the future feels increasingly unsafe.

Break the cycle of retaliation.
Disarm the hands that reach for vengeance.
Silence the voices that profit from hatred.

Give wisdom and courage to those with power to pause this –
to choose restraint, protection, and dialogue,
to seek justice without crushing the vulnerable.

Make us people who do not look away.
Teach us to pray with honesty,
to act with compassion,
and to keep refusing despair. Amen.