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A Prayer In Time Of War

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Lachy Paterson
05 September, 2019

In mid 1940, the Germans was in the ascendancy and it seemed that Britain might fall.  Such was the sense of peril that King George VI called upon his subjects to pray together on Sunday, 26 May for deliverance.  This “day of national prayer” was met with great enthusiasm in Britain, and also in New Zealand where churches recorded large congregations for the day.[1] There is little doubt that Māori churches would also have participated. 

The Presbyterian Māori Mission published its own monthly periodical, Te Waka Karaitiana, during the war.  This Māori-language newspaper was supportive of the war effort, but generally followed the church’s teaching on the war. It portrayed Hitler and the Nazis as anti-Christian, while trying to avoid any anti-German feeling.[2]  Like some other Christians, [3] it intepreted the British “miracle” in evacuating its troops from Dunkirk as directly attributable to the King’s call to prayer. [4]

Leaders in the Protestant churches in New Zealand had come together with a “suggested form of prayer” for this day [5] but it unclear whether Māori churches used this or not.  In September 1940, the newspaper published “He Inoi mo te Wa o te Whawhai” (A Prayer for the Time of War), which was different to the prayer above.  It does not specifically relate to Māori, or to New Zealand, so is probably a translation of an English-language prayer, possible from England.  It calls upon God to deliver them from evil, but also references the war, the king and empire, the troops and the enemy.  The prayer (below) appears to invite congregational responses in a liturgical manner, with phrases such as “Tohungia mātou” [deliver us] and “Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi” [Loving God, listen to our prayer] repeated through the prayer.

If anyone has any further information about this karakia, please feel free to contact us.

 

HE INOI MO TE WA O TE WHAWHAI

      E te Atua, te Matua o te rangi.
      Tohungia matou.
      E te Atua, e te Tama, te Kaihoko i te ao.
      Tohungia matou.
      E te Atua, e te Wairua Tapu.
      Tohungia matou.
      E te Atua kaua e mahara ki o matou he.
      Tohungia matou, e te Ariki pai.
      Ka inoi nei matou o pononga iti kia pai koe ki te muru i o matou hara katoa, engari rawa i tenei wa ka inoi ngakau nui matou ki a Koe, ki te muru i nga he katoa i waiho hei putake nana i timata tenei pakanga kino e kuru nei i te ao.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia murua o matou hara, o matou hapanga ki te mahi i nga mea tika, me te kapotanga katoa o o matou ngakau.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia murua e Koe te hara o to matou kore whakapono ki a Koe, o to matou kore aroha ki a Koe; a, kia whakahangaia e Koe to matou whakapono, to matou whakawhirinaki ki a Koe.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia murua e Koe te hara o to matou kore aroha ki a nga tangata katoa, me te homai ki a matou te wairua o te aroha e kore rawa bei e taka.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia whakahohonutia to matou ripeneta, a, kia homai e Koe ki a matou he whakatikatikatanga o to matou ahua i runga i te aroha noa o Tou Wairua Tapu.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia whakahohonutia ki roto i nga tangata katoa he mohiotanga tuturu ki te ahua o te mea kino e whawhai mai nei ki to matou Emepaea i tenei ra.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia arahina, kia whakaorangia e Koe to matou Kingi me nga tangata katoa e whakahaere ana i raro i a ia.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia whakahakangia e Koe te wairua whakaaro nui ki roto i nga tangata katoa o to matou kingitanga, kia tuku rangatira ratou i a ratou ano i runga i te karanga o tenei wa kia takatu mai matou mo te tika.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia whakahangaia mai ano Tou Wairua Tapu ki nga mea e mahue ana i te kainga, kia rite ki to ratou te ngakau, te tuku i to ratou kaha katoa ki te mahi mo te wikitoria o te tika.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia homai ki nga iwi awhina i a matou, kia tukitukia nei o ratou whenua e te hoariri, kia tuturu te u o o ratou ngakau ki a Koe, a, kia hohoro ano To whakaputa i a ratou i raro i te rekereke o te hoariri.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia tautokongia ake, kia whakahangaia e Koe nga kaiwhakahaere o o matou taua ki runga i te moana, ki runga i te whenua, ki runga i te takiwa, a, kia mau tonu ki a ratou O homaitanga o te matauranga me te kaha.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia tikina, kia whakaorangia e Koe nga hoia katoa o roto i nga wahanga katoa o o matou taua, me te whakakaha tonu i to ratou maia me to ratou manawanui, engari rawa kia tino whakawhiwhia e Koe enei manaakitanga ki nga mea e karapotia ana e nga mate.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia whakahangaia mai Tou Wairua Tapu ki a ratou katoa me te whakatipu ki roto i a ratou i te whakapono me te tumanako, me te whakaaro nui ki nga mea tapu, me te ngakau nui i te wa e pehia kinitia ana ratou, me te ngakau tohu tangata i te wa e riro ana te wikitoria i a ratou.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia whakaorangia i nga mate o te moana me nga kokiri a te hoariri, te hunga katoa e haere ana i te moana.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia homai to awhina ki te hunga kua taotu, To whakaoranga ki nga turoro, a, kia manaakitia e Koe nga whawha katoa a te hunga e tiaki ana i a ratou.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia tonoa mai e Koe O Anahera o te mahi tohu, o te whakaoranga, ki te toro, ki te whakaora, ki te whakamarie i nga tangata e mate ana, kua mau herehere ranei, a kia hohoro To whakaputa i nga whakarau.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia tukua mai i roto i nga taonga ranea o to mahi tohu nga mea katoa e matea ana e te hunga rawa-kore, e te hunga kua panaia kinotia i o ratou whenua tupu, e te hunga kua aituatia, e te pani, e te pouaru, e nga mea e pehia ana e te awangawanga.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia whakaakongia nga tamariki o to matou Emepaea, ki te whakaaro ki te Atua, ki te tapu, ki te tika, ki te ma, ki te pono, ahakoa nga whakararu o tenei wa o te whawhai.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia homai e Koe ki To iwi katoa e karanga nei ki a Koe i tenei wa o te he, te wairua o te aroha e tuku noa nei i a ia ano, me te wairua o te whakapono, i homai e Koe ki nga tangata kua pono a taea noatia te mate.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia whakatahuri Koe i o matou hoariri kia mohio ai ratou ki o ratou hara ki a Koe, ki nga tangata ano hoki.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Kia meinga e Koe kia hua i roto i tenei pakanga he kotahiranga pono o nga tangata, he whakahoatanga pumau o nga iwi o te ao.
      Kia whakarongo mai Koe e te Atua aroha ki ta matou inoi.
      Na, i enei a matou inoi ka hoatu e matou, i runga i te ngakau whakaiti, a matou whakawhetai ki a Koe mo O mahi tohu me O manaakitanga ki a matou, taea noatia tenei ra.
      E whakawhetai ana matou ki a Koe e te Atua.  Amine.
     TE INOI O TE ARIKI

 

NOTES
[1] For example, Northern Advocate, 27 May 1940, p.8; Ashburton Guardian, 27 May 1940, p.4; Evening Star, 25 May 1940, p.5.
[2] Te Waka Karaitiana, September 1939, pp.98-99.
[3]for example, Evening Star, 25 July 1940, p.10.
[4] Te Waka Karaitiana, June 1940, p.74; September, 1940, pp.114-115.
[5] Evening Star, 25 May 1940, p.8.

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