Almighty God of peace, mercy, and compassion, hear our prayers.

Today we come before You with heavy hearts, as we see communities around the world facing devastating weather and natural disasters.

We pray for California, U.S., as the state prepares for a potentially historic El Niño season and has declared a state of emergency. We pray for families, communities, emergency workers, first responders, and everyone preparing for heavy rain, flooding, landslides, powerful winds, and other dangers that may come. Give people wisdom to prepare, protect those who are vulnerable, and keep everyone safe.

We especially lift up Nepal and Tibet, where catastrophic flooding and landslides have taken many lives and left thousands of people missing or unaccounted for. The collapse of the Lantang Lirung glacier in Nepal has challenged ongoing rescue efforts, so we lift those brave first responders up in prayer as they work. We pray for every family waiting for news about a loved one. We pray for those grieving, those searching through the devastation, and those who are still hoping to find someone alive.

We pray for all places around the world experiencing floods, storms, droughts, wildfires, landslides, earthquakes, extreme heat, and other disasters.

Where waters are rising, protect people.
Where the ground is unstable, keep people safe.
Where the land is dry, bring needed rain.
Where fires are burning, protect communities and firefighters.
Where people are stranded, help rescuers reach them.
Where families are grieving, surround them with comfort and support.

Help the world respond not only with emergency relief, but also with compassion, cooperation, preparation, and long-term recovery.

Give leaders wisdom as they decide how to protect their people and rebuild communities. Help nations and communities work together, rather than facing these challenges alone.

Be with the emergency responders, rescue teams, soldiers, medical workers, volunteers, and everyone working tirelessly among the destruction. Give them strength, protection, clear judgment, and the resources they need. Guide them as they search through floodwaters, mud, debris, damaged buildings, and dangerous terrain. Most of all, help them feel that You are with them.

God, we pray for the people whose homes, businesses, farms, roads, bridges, power systems, and livelihoods have been destroyed or damaged. The economic cost of these disasters can be overwhelming, but behind every number is a person, a family, a community, and a story.

Provide shelter for those who have been displaced.
Provide food and clean water for those who are without it.
Provide medical care for those who are injured.
Provide strength for those who are exhausted.
Provide comfort for those who have lost someone they love.

And remind us, God, that even when disasters dominate the headlines, there are countless acts of courage, kindness, generosity, and sacrifice happening quietly every day.

May we remember those who are suffering.
May we remember those who are searching.
May we remember those who are rebuilding.
May we remember those who are serving.

Today we also lift our hearts to You and pray for peace in a world that is carrying so much conflict, fear, suffering, and uncertainty.

As leaders from nearly 200 nations gather in New York City, U.S., for the United Nations General Assembly and for high-level diplomatic talks, we ask You to give them wisdom, humility, courage, and a genuine desire to protect human life. Guide their words and their decisions long after the meetings end. Help them listen to one another, find common ground, and remember that behind every political decision are real people, families, communities, and generations whose lives are affected by war and peace. May these conversations become more than speeches and meetings in the months to come. Give our world leaders the wisdom to choose life, the courage to pursue genuine peace, and the humility to recognize our shared humanity.

God, guide every leader who enters a meeting room, every diplomat who sits across a negotiating table, and every person who has the responsibility to make decisions affecting millions of lives.

Where there is anger, bring understanding.
Where there is fear, bring courage.
Where there is hatred, bring compassion.
Where there is division, open a path toward reconciliation.
Where there is war, open a path toward peace.

We pray especially for the United States and the leaders of the Gulf nations as they meet to discuss the next steps regarding Iran. Give them wisdom and restraint. May their discussions lead toward de-escalation, security, and a future in which nations can resolve their differences without more loss of life.

We pray that conversations and meetings between the United States and China will bear good fruit and improve relations between the countries for the benefit of the whole world. Help our leaders use wisdom as it relates to Taiwan and Japan. May a spirit of goodwill for all people continue long after the discussions.

We pray for the people of Russia and Ukraine. Be with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and all those involved in diplomatic efforts. Give them the courage to pursue meaningful dialogue and the wisdom to recognize opportunities for peace. Protect civilians, comfort those who have lost loved ones, and bring an end to the suffering caused by war.

Help us to not forget those who have been wrongly imprisoned in other countries for the purpose of using them as leverage for prisoner exchanges. We pray especially for protection and freedom for those being held in China – which holds the highest number of unjustly detained foreign nationals – and in Russia, Iran, Afghanistan (Taliban), Venezuela, Syria & Belarus, and anywhere that any other group holds foreign hostages. We pray you give the detainees strength and courage as they await their freedom.  Be with the families of those who miss their loved ones and struggle because of their absence.

We also pray for the people of Israel and Palestine. As France leads a follow-up effort focused on the two-state solution, give all those involved wisdom, honesty, compassion, and perseverance. May diplomatic efforts lead toward a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live with security, dignity, freedom, and peace.

Remind the nations of the world that strength is not only found in military power, but also in the courage to negotiate, forgive, compromise, and seek a better future together.

• Protect innocent people everywhere—children, families, the elderly, the displaced, and all those caught in conflicts they did not choose.
• Bring peace to frightened hearts, strength to weary hands, and hope to people who cannot yet see what tomorrow will bring.
• Protect those in danger. Comfort those who mourn. Guide those who rescue. Strengthen those who rebuild.
• And may communities around the world find the courage and compassion to stand together when natural or human-caused disaster strikes.

May those who are suffering find help.
May those who are missing be found.
May those who are grieving find comfort.
May those who are serving be protected.
And may hope rise again from the waters, the ruins, and the uncertainty.

And for all of us who watch these events from afar, help us not to become numb to suffering. Keep compassion alive in our hearts. Teach us to pray, to help where we can, and to believe that peace is worth pursuing.

May peace begin in the hearts of individuals, spread through communities, reach across borders, and ultimately touch every nation.

God of all people, hear our prayer.

May peace prevail. May wisdom guide our leaders. May human life be valued. And may hope rise above fear.
Amen.