We praise you, O God, for another day to see the dawn, another evening to see the
dusk, for the moon and the stars that shine their light at night. We praise you for your
great and mighty acts, for your favor to your creatures and your creation. We come to
you with our hearts full of wonder, awe, and amazement at the intricacies of the
connections in the world as we know it. We grieve the losses and celebrate the joys with
all creation as we gather to acknowledge our love and dependence on you. Hear our
prayers, O God.
O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come…
- As world religious celebrations and remembrances continue this week of
Lent, February 18 – April 2 (Christian), Ramadan, February 17- March 19
(Muslim), Purim, March 2-3 (Judaism), Magha Puja, March 3 (Buddhism),
and Holi, March 4 (Hinduism). - As we marked the end of the Winter Olympic Games in Italy, where Cortina and Milano hosted, we are grateful to the hosts and participants, and for the global goodwill spread through sports competitions.
- As world trade agreements between countries aim to balance trade in ways that benefit them, Canada, China, India, and the European Union face instability in world markets and unpredictable tariff policies from the U.S.
Our shelter from the stormy blast…
We pray for those affected by weather incidents, power outages, extreme cold, flight
disruptions, and for stranded travelers.
- On Monday, February 23, winter storm Hernando, a “bomb cyclone,” dumped record snowfall and crippled the Northeastern U.S. states.
- For the back-to-back cyclones, Fytia and Gezani in February, which left Madagascar crippled with widespread flooding and destruction to homes, farmland, and infrastructure.
- For Tropical Cyclone Horatio, the first Category 5 storm of 2026, as it moves in the southern Indian Ocean area, we are grateful that it turned away from landfall in India.
And our eternal home…
We pray for the leaders, advisors, people who have sustained horrendous casualties in their lands, and those who have lost lives in wars and conflicts. We ask you to provide wisdom and reasonableness to the negotiators in their talks and endeavors for peaceful ends to hostility in these regions:
- In Ukraine, we mark and remember the four-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of its borders.
- In Myanmar, where air strikes have killed civilians, including women and children, in the Rakhine state.
- In the war-ravaged Sudan’s Kordofan, where mass killings continue, millions are displaced, attacks on aid workers occur, and an acute hunger crisis persists, even as Chad shut the border with Sudan to stop the armed conflict from spreading.
- In Iran, in the aftermath of the loss of life of an estimated thousands of Iranian protesters, the U.S. military warships gather in the waters in the vicinity of Iran, where they are positioned for striking targets inside Iran.
- In Mexico, where street violence erupted this week after the military targeted killing of the drug lord kingpin, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, commonly known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
We pray for the emergency teams to provide rescue, clean-up, and rebuilding efforts for regions of the world experiencing disruptive accidents, floods, and landslides:
- In Nepal, on Monday, February 23, a packed bus carrying tourists traveling to the capital, Kathmandu, plunged 656 feet down a mountain slope, killing 19 and injuring 25 people.
- In Bali, after heavy rains and rising water levels submerged streets and
homes, with possible further rainfall and landslides displacing hundreds of
residents. - In Brazil’s Minas Gerais state, at least 36 people have been killed, and dozens remain missing after buildings and homes collapsed.
- In western France, entire villages were isolated after a record-breaking 37 consecutive days of precipitation, where many people remain stranded amid the deluge, and some homes lack power.
We pray for rain, crops, cattle, and those providing humanitarian assistance with food and water supplies for regions of the world experiencing extreme drought:
- Ethiopia, Somalia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mauritania, and South Africa.
Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame, from everlasting, thou art
God, to endless years the same. A thousand ages in your sight are like an evening
gone, short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. O God, our help in
ages past, our hope for years to come, be thou our guard while troubles last and our
eternal home.
Amen
(Hymn Source: “O God our Help in Ages Past”)
Leave a Reply