For You, Today I Pray

-For you, my friend, who is pregnant with a child you do not want and cannot afford and tried to abort. For you, whose home is built on stilts above a pile of trash—partially of your own making. As you cook for others in the heat of the day, hoping to turn a profit. Living in a shack with your big family. So many mouths to feed. For you and your baby I pray.

-For you, my friend, who asked me to pray for the soul of her grandmother who just died. That God may accept her into heaven. For you, who I visited while your grandmother’s body was being washed for burial in your home. Sitting amidst covered women chanting Arabic prayers. For you, and your family, I pray.

-For you, my friend, who lives between a world of progress—well-educated, intelligent, yet still clinging to superstitions and false beliefs. For you I pray.

-For you, my young friend, who at just 13 years old has buried both a brother and a sister. Who now struggles as an adolescent, fighting with your mom, missing your siblings. Not yet a covered Muslim woman, but surely nearing that day. For you, I pray.

-For you, my friend, who feels unloved in your marriage. Rejected in your home. Lost in this new city. Overwhelmed as a new mom. Hopeless about the future. For you, I pray.

-For you, my friend, who seeks love from men who are not your husband. Who wishes your husband loved you. Who is playing with fire, and living without true hope. For you, I pray.

-For all my Indonesian friends, whom I love. Who don’t yet know—really know—the power and comfort of God’s grace in their lives. Who don’t yet claim the importance of today—Good Friday—for yourselves. Who I hope someday will celebrate with me. Who, in the meantime, fill my heart with sadness and my prayers with urgency. For you, today, I pray.