Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. … (God said) I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon […]
Prayers for Africa
Farmers in West Africa walking flooded fields, looking for salvageable stems: images like this shape how the continent is prayed for here. The prayers hold communities enduring climate extremes and places where water is scarce or polluted, and they name the injustice that a continent home to so many of the world's poorest bears little responsibility for the warming.
O Be Careful, Little Eyes: An Advent Prayer for the Climate and Desecrated Graves in Alsace (December 5, 2019)
We open our hearts to you, God of compassion, God of power, Because we know we need your creative power and precision of language when we speak, we need to learn the voice of clarity, to see with vision, to hear with discretion and act with generosity. In this season of hyper-charged commercialism, ever attempting […]
We Build Walls: A Prayer for Those Waiting at Borders and Drowning in the Mediterranean (November 7, 2019)
Dear Lord, Great Mystery, Comforter and Reconciler of All. In your Great Mystery you are a bulwark, a fortress and watchtower. You protect and shield and send light forth to guide and unite. We build walls, over 70 of them across lands and around the world from the U.S.-Mexican border to the fences separating Hungary […]
Awaken in Us Compassion: Prayers for Midwest Floods, Cyclone Fani, and Ebola Health Workers (May 9, 2019)
Oh God, you who are always listening to us; you who hear the bird singing in the topmost branch against the blue, blue sky; you who know of the sobbing deep in the rubble after a bombing or the utterings of the newly-born. You, who are the heart of compassion, who gave your son Jesus […]
Safe in the Shadow of the Lord: A Prayer on Cheap Goods, Fake News, and Religious Persecution (March 7, 2019)
“Safe in the shadow of the Lord beneath His hand and power, I trust in Him, I trust in Him, my fortress and my tower.” – paraphrase of Ps 91 by Timothy Dudley-Smith Heavenly Father, Your word and being is of compassion, merciful care and everlasting love to all, regardless of merit. The response […]
A More Perfect Union: Prayers for the Thai Cave Boys, the Capital Gazette and Refugees (July 5, 2018)
This week’s prayers are adapted, with permission, from a prayer written for U.S. Independence Day 2018 by Leslie Barnes Scoopmire. (Inspired by the Preamble to the United States Constitution) In peace, we pray to You, Lord, God: from our rising to our resting we give You thanks and praise for all your blessings. We give […]
God of Grace and Glory: A Thanksgiving Prayer for the Rohingya and Those Facing Deportation (November 23, 2017)
“…for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” ~ Matthew 25:42-43 God of […]
Jesus Wept: A Prayer From the Earthquake Ruins of Mexico and the Storm-Battered Caribbean (September 21, 2017)
“Jesus Wept” Oh, Lord… Oh, Lord. Every bone in our body, every tear in our eye, every drop of blood in our heart, cries to You. We are not fools, O Lord. We are certain that others despaired in their time. But this is our time, O Lord. So hear, and forgive, the desperation of […]
Commit Your Way to the Lord: A Prayer for First Nations Children and Quiet Peacemakers (September 29, 2016)
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret – it leads only to evil. […]
Attune Us to Your Presence: A Prayer for Aleppo, Child Brides, and Children Taken by ISIS (June 9, 2016)
God, of surprises, Christ of the unexpected acts of love and compassion, Holy Spirit blowing where You will – we come to worship and be in Your presence. So often all the words we use in our services and prayers inadvertently block us from being open to Your coming. In the still small voice as […]