Heavenly God,
You are the God of our hearts. The God whose love fills our hearts even when they feel empty. You are the God who seeks us out when we have no one and are in the loneliest of places. We are so grateful, God. Grateful when you hold us when we cannot hold ourselves. When we worry and are uncertain we see your love in these lonely spaces and we find ourselves no longer alone. You welcome us like a stranger and you care for us as only you can.
God, we pray that that very love that you offer us may also be felt by those who are especially alone. With those who are so affected by the brokenness of their community, the desolation of their lives, the disconnection in their relationships. God, as protests have broken out across the world in reaction to Nicaragua’s fraught presidential election, we pray for your children there that they may not be alone, and as they feel the turmoil in their community, may you offer peace.
God, may your love go out to those who sit in grief of all kinds. As a different level of devastation is felt. We pray for the families of the eight people who died after a crowd surge at the music event in Texas, USA. May you offer healing to those who no longer have a family member and those who themselves witnessed this horrible accident. Offer your love and peace there and to all of the places in this world where unnecessary death seems so frequent.
As the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, UK continues into its second week, may you continue to bring together your people as they seek out care for this planet and your creation. May we commit to loving instead of hurting your planet as we also seek to help instead of hurt each other.
God, as we witness a lack of love and understanding in so many of our communities, we pray in particular for the tensions that are escalating between Poland and Belarus as a lengthy migrant crisis continues. We pray that people may come together instead of fall apart as we care for one another in the midst of great suffering, despair and our own personal loneliness. As we see human rights violations across Ethiopia, we pray that your people may be cared for and be able to live healthy lives.
God, as we see suffering in so many areas of the lives of those around us, we also see your love poured out in the form of people. We see your love in the form of those we love. We are taken out of our loneliness because of the things you have gifted to us – because of the love you put in our own hearts. Because of the hope you have given us even when there seems to be none. As the US, Canada, Mexico, EU and other countries reopen their borders to vaccinated travelers after twenty months, as families and friends are reunited and can share their love in person once again we are grateful.
God, we pray for the lonely everywhere, and we ask for your love to spread across our world so that our hearts may no longer be empty. Your love is bigger than anything, God, and in your love, we find our peace.
Amen.
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