World in Prayer for August 14, 2014
(As I looked around me at our world this week, preparing to write these prayers, I found myself singing over and over the words to Marty Haugen’s wonderful hymn, “Healer of Our Every Ill”, and so I have incorporated them into the prayers for this week.)
Healer of our every ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear
and hope beyond our sorrow.
To God, the Healer, we turn today, for as we look around this world of ours, we see so much pain, so much sorrow, so much brokenness.
- As we grieve the death of gifted actor and comedian, Robin Williams, as we feel the pain of all those who suffer from depression and every form of mental illness…
- As we feel the anguish of the family of Chinese dissident lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, who is suffering from severe mental and physical health problems after his imprisonment and torture, as they try to bring him to the United States for treatment…
- As we mourn the death of AP video journalist, Simone Camilli, in an explosion in Gaza…
- As we share the sorrow of the Brazilian people at the death of presidential candidate, Eduardo Campos, in a plane crash…
You who know our fears and sadness,
Grace us with your peace and gladness.
Spirit of all comfort, fill our hearts.
To God, the giver of strength, we turn today,
- As we watch helplessly the continuing armed conflicts and instability in Syria, the Ukraine, Pakistan, Iraq, and Gaza…
- As we suffer with those combatting the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia…
- As we see the suffering of the immigrant children fleeing from Central America to the United States, in the hope of a better life…
- As California in the United States suffers with the worst drought in a century while the eastern United States experiences record rainfall and flooding…
- As we are made aware of the countless millions who are victims of human trafficking throughout the world…
Fill our hearts with compassion and lift us from the hopelessness which immobilizes us.
In the pain and joy, beholding
how your grace is still unfolding,
give us all your vision, God of love.
To God, the giver of hope, we turn today. Give us your vision to see bright lights of hope in the midst of the darkness:
- The selfless dedication of the members of Doctors Without Borders (Medicins sans Frontieres), working to combat the Ebola epidemic in West Africa…
- The peace-making visit of Pope Francis to South Korea, where he conducted mass at Myeondong Cathedral in Seoul…
- The awarding of the Fields Medal, the “Nobel Prize of mathematics”, to Dr. Maryam Mirzakhani from Tehran, Iran, the first woman to receive this award…
- The birth and continuing good health of panda triplets in a zoo in China…
Give us strength to love each other,
every sister, every brother,
Spirit of all kindness, fill each heart.
Fill us, we pray, with the vision, the courage, the wisdom, the strength, to look at our world with clear and compassionate eyes…to see what is and to envision what could be. Grant us the peace of mind and heart to not be so confounded or discouraged that we see only the difficulties and problems, becoming immobilized by their magnitude. Empower us with the willingness to be part of solution, even when that is difficult and demanding, when it takes us outside of our individual comfort zones. Heal our brokenness; heal our discouragement; heal our reluctance to become involved. For we know that we do not work alone; we do not suffer alone. You have given us one another and you have filled us with your presence, and for this, we give you thanks.
You who know each thought and feeling,
teach us all your way of healing.
Spirit of compassion, fill each heart.
Healer of our every ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear
and hope beyond our sorrow.
AMEN.
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