Prayer of the Children

Prayer of the Children by Kurt Bestor is a deeply moving song that captures the sorrow and suffering of children caught in the horrors of war, and specifically the Bosnian War (1992–1995). Bestor, who had lived in Serbia and Croatia as a missionary before the Yugoslav Wars, was inspired to write the piece as a lament for the innocent lives lost in the conflict. Kurt Bestor recalls the story of a Bosnian boy who survived a landmine explosion, underwent multiple surgeries in Miami, and then tragically died in an artillery barrage upon returning home—is one of the many heartbreaking real-life tragedies of that war. Bestor himself has spoken about how such stories influenced the composition of Prayer of the Children, making it not just a song, but a plea for peace and a tribute to the countless children affected by violence.