“Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.” - Isaiah 58:7
Our common privilege can blind us to the needs of others. It might appear to us that people are not struggling to find places to live… there is always new construction, and the rent and housing prices keep rising, so there must be a demand being met.
Yet food banks are running dry with the new influx of people in need. Families are living in smaller and smaller dwellings trying to get ends to meet, and all their bills paid. People are fleeing countries that are war-torn, looking for a place of shelter, only to find it overpriced and in more disrepair than the places they left. For a country that is known for its cold and its snow, it is heartbreaking to know that we are also a country of tent cities built by those experiencing homelessness.
As we pray today we need to ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the needs that we don’t see, the ones shadowed by someone’s pride or shame, we need to ask the Father of grace and compassion to let our hearts beat in rhythm with his, caring for the neighbours and neighbourhoods around us.
Prayer Points
The City of Ottawa will meet the target of 100,000 new residences in the next 10 years.
All levels of government will take steps to support affordable housing so that everyone has a place to call home with adequate greenspace for quality of living.
Governments will streamline the approval process so more houses and apartments can be built with sensitivity to existing neighbourhoods and greenspace.
Christians will encourage their elected representatives at all levels to deal with the housing crisis.
Christian missions in Ottawa will receive sufficient funds to provide shelter for homeless people currently living on city streets.