For the first Sunday of Lent, we remember those suffering in Gaza and the West Bank. We turn our attention, and our intercession, toward those in need. We recall the psalmist’s declaration that you, Lord, are our hiding place and a protection against trouble (Ps 32:7). We pray for the vulnerable in shelters, awaiting salvation from pain, destruction, and tragedy. We ask your protection for all who seek shelter, and for refugees fleeing violence, who have lost homes and family and who struggle to draw meaning from their plight. We remember the hope you bring through your life, death, and resurrection. You gather the nations into your redeeming purposes, where righteousness prevails and darkness is defeated. Amen.