Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. – Romans 8:26, ESV
Everlasting Comforter, Prince of Peace,
Today we come to you not knowing how to pray.
Our world often feels like it is crushing under the weight of prejudice, oppression, and injustice.
Our physical world is groaning in the birth pains of a new awakening,
As Canada has reached record low temperatures this week,
And as 14 States across the Central and Eastern United States have faced a winter storm killing at least 38 people, leaving thousands without power, and almost 200 million under some form of winter cold warning through to February 1st,
We remember those without adequate housing, enough clothing, and enough provisions,
We know winter shelters in the northern hemispehere are bursting,
And we pray that those who need a safe place to sleep for the night will find warmth and welcome.
As Storm Kristin kills at least 3 people in Portugal, and then barrels into Spain leaving over 800,000 without electricity,
As a huge landslide in Sicily (Italy) following Storm Harry forces more than 1,000 residents to evacuate from their homes,
We pray that the groanings of the earth will be silenced,
And that through our care and compassion for creation, the world would feel nourished and loved.
We give thanks that even in the wake of the rogue waves in the Atlantic Ocean East of Puerto Rico that a solo rower, Benoi Bourguet (47) of Belgium was rescued when his row boat capsized during the world’s toughest rowing race.
Moments like this teach us how fragile life is and how we must maximize the time we have on this earth to work towards the wellbeing of our world.
Our hearts are grieved as we remember and uphold the losses of those who have died too soon or not in the right way.
This week we uplift those who have lost their lives in unjust ways through ICE in the United States. We pray for the comfort and consolation of the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as those who have been psychologically harmed through acts of violence and feeling targeted and unwanted.
We pray for those in West Bengal, India, who have been affected by the Nipah Virus. So far, there have been 5 confirmed cases which has led to the quarantine of 100 people and has led to the hospitalization of others at various medical facilities in Kolkata. This virus carries a death rate of 45-75% and so far there are no vaccines or medical treatments available for affected humans or animals. We pray that the proper medical precautions would be put in place and that health authorities would respond quickly to help prevent its spread.
We pray for the families 18 passengers who died when a ferry carrying over 330 sank in (The Republic of the) Philippines. We pray that even in this tragedy, they would feel God’s embrace through the actions of the community supporting them.
And we lift up the delegate cease fire between Thailand and Cambodia praying that both sides would work towards the cause of peace especially for the most vulnerable who live among them.
We give thanks that Israel has recovered the remains of the last remaining hostage held in Gaza, the Police Officer, Ran Gvili, who was killed while fighting attackers on October 7th. We celebrate that this action confirms Israel’s ongoing commitment to the peace plan and we pray that those in Palestine and Israel will be able to work towards ongoing restoration and rebuilding of trust.
Our world groans under the weight of technology, used both for good and for evil.
We know that technology is here to stay and we give thanks for the ways it adds efficiency to our lives,
But we also pray that with the growing technological concerns, we maintain a healthy attitude and respect around what we use it for.
Today we lift up the 19 year old known as KGM who is blaming social media platforms for her serious mental health issues.
We pray for those who use social media as a place to compare, criticize, and condemn.
May we instead work towards using it as a place to collaborate, listen, and learn.
We pray for the over 16,000 people who have lost their jobs at Amazon due to AI.
We pray for more job creation and that we never forget to have face-to-face human contact even if tempted to hide behind screens.
And we lift up the European Union as they continue investigating Musk’s X Platform over the AI Chatbox Grok who was involved in sexual deep fakes.
May the God-given need for human intimacy never be abused or misused, but cherished as a sacred gift.
We often feel our world is groaning, but we also know that God is listening.
God, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Amen.
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