Prayers for Brazil

Brazil comes into these prayers through drought, floods and mudslides, building fires and collapses, and the heavy toll of the pandemic. The Amazon and its Indigenous peoples are a steady concern, as is poverty in the cities, with thanks given for coral discoveries, scientists and leaders working for the forest.

Shalom Be With You: Prayers for Douma, Parkland and the Muenster Attack (April 12, 2018)

[Jesus] stood among them and said to them, ‘Shalom be with you.’ ~ Luke 24:36 God of creation and creativity, you’ve given us the gift of language and communication so that we might speak of and learn about you, however feeble our understanding might be. We often take the gift of words for granted, forgetting […]

At the Foot of the Cross: Prayers for Families and Friends From Kemerovo to Eastern Ghouta (March 29, 2018)

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. ~ Ps 22:27 Lord, when we think of Mary at the foot of the cross supported by family and friends it is a week for families to cling together. As […]

Astonished Praise: A Prayer of Gratitude for Scientists, Writers, and Artists (October 12, 2017)

Beloved God, here in the United States, home of many and mingled people, all of whom we honor, we bring our astonished praise for all the gifts that surround us. Having just learned the names of MacArthur Foundation Fellows of 2017, we have been at least introduced to marvelous ways our universe and our lives […]

A Litany of Blessings: After the Las Vegas Shooting, for Catalonia, the Kurds, and Bali (October 5, 2017)

A note from the writer of this week’s prayers: I really wrestled with what prayers to write today. Part of me – a LARGE part – wanted to rage at God: “If Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection was supposed to end the power of evil and sin, your experiment has failed. Utterly. It’s time to […]

Hear Our Cries: A Prayer for Storm-Struck Communities, DACA Families, and Journalists Silenced (September 7, 2017)

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. -Ps.119:34 The commandments…are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” -Romans 13:9-10 Abba, Father of each one of us wherever we […]

Lord, Declare New Things: After Hurricane Harvey, Monsoon Floods, and the Freetown Landslide (August 31, 2017)

Do you know what I have done for you? – John 13:12c And new things I now declare – Isaiah 42:9b The word of the Lord stands forever – Isaiah 40:8b, I Peter 1:25 Lord, we see what you have done for us, but sometimes it is difficult as we do not know or […]

There Is a Balm in Gilead: Prayers for Those Jailed for Speaking Out, Firefighters, and Elephants (August 3, 2017)

The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. Psalm 145:14 There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul. God of grace and glory, God who knows our hearts and minds, you can see, you […]

When the News Is Also Olds: Prayers for Johannesburg’s Fire, Mosul, and Charlie Gard (July 6, 2017)

Lord, time after time the news reflects what has happened; this week’s events reflecting what has already happened. So we pray for those for whom the news is also “olds” – for they remember the pain, the trauma, the fear, the deep changes in their lives. We pray for those caught in the fire in […]

Your Kingdom Come: Prayers After the Travel Ban, for Niger’s Abandoned Migrants and Gaza’s Newborns (June 29, 2017)

Your glorious cause, O God Engages our hearts May Jesus Christ be known Wherever we are We ask not for ourselves, but for Your renown The cross has saved us so we pray Your kingdom come. – Let Your Kingdom Come, by Bob Kauflin Holy and almighty God, in the face of suffering and trials, […]

I Came That They May Have Life: Prayers for Iran’s Miners, Amazon Tribes, and Midwest Floods (May 4, 2017)

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. – John 10:10b Never-ending God, we long for abundant life. All too often we settle for what our minds believe we deserve. But that isn’t abundance. Or, as we strive to live abundantly, we do so at the expense of others, or the environment, […]