Prayer, resources available for 'World Malaria Day,' April 25

A special prayer and other resources are available online to help Lutherans observe “World Malaria Day” on Wednesday, April 25.

Malaria — a preventable disease — kills one child every 60 seconds in Africa. In a single 24-hour period — one day — that’s 1,440 children in Africa who die of malaria.

World Malaria Day offers an opportunity to raise awareness of the devastating effects of this disease and encourage people to join in the worldwide effort to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015. That effort includes the Lutheran Malaria Initiative (LMI), a partnership of the LCMS and Lutheran World Relief, Baltimore, that seeks to mobilize U.S. Lutherans in the global effort to eliminate malaria deaths. LMI is made possible through support from the United Nations Foundation.

On World Malaria Day, all Lutherans are invited to say a special prayer (see below) that asks God to show mercy to those suffering from malaria, comfort those who have lost a loved one to malaria and bless the efforts of those fighting to eradicate malaria.

LMI partners are asking people to say the prayer at 2:40 p.m. — 14:40 on a 24-hour clock — in remembrance of the 1,440 African children who die each day from malaria.

In addition to the prayer, the Lutheran Malaria Initiative web page at www.lcms.org/lmi offers information about LMI and malaria, fundraising “fact sheets,” a Bible study, bulletin inserts, and related videos and books.

Among those resources is Little Things Make Big Differences: A Story about Malaria ($6.99, item no. 562460WEB) by the Rev. Dr. John Nunes, president and CEO of Lutheran World Relief, and his wife, Monique. During the week of World M alaria Day — April 23-27 — Concordia Publishing House will donate $2 from the sale of each Little Things book to the Lutheran Malaria Initiative to purchase insecticide-treated bed nets.

For more information, or to order, call CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit www.cph.org/stopmalaria. (Price quoted does not include shipping charge.)

The “14:40 Prayer for World Malaria Day” follows:

Lord God, our most merciful Father, in this fallen and sinful world death is the constant and impartial enemy of all. We humbly ask You to show mercy on all those who are suffering from malaria today. If it be Your will, restore the afflicted to full health. Surround them in their time of illness with Your love, especially the children who are weak and afraid, through the family and friends who minister to them. Comfort those who have already lost a loved one to malaria or will, especially the parents of young children, who in the minds of mothers and fathers are taken from this life too soon. We plead You to perform the miracle of ending this disease, in part through the education and relief efforts of the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. Grant that LMI’s educators, physicians, health-care providers and missionaries are powerfully and fully equipped to bring an end to the human suffering and death in Africa caused by malaria. And Lord, through the Gospel of Your Son Jesus, proclaimed through Word and Sacrament, strengthen our faith and lead others to see that a life in His grace leads only to an eternal existence in Your loving presence. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior. Amen.

Posted April 17, 2012 / Updated April 18, 2012