World in Prayer

Sharing in God’s loving compassion for all

Prayers for Ethiopia

Conflict in Tigray and later in other regions runs through these prayers for Ethiopia, with civilians displaced, a state of emergency, and tension with Eritrea. Drought, locust swarms, and widespread food insecurity are held alongside thanksgiving for women in law, medicine, and community work.

Beloved, Are You There: A Prayer After the Myanmar Earthquake and for a World at War (April 3, 2025)

Beloved, are you there amongst the rubble and remains of thousands who lost their lives from the earthquake in Myanmar…..are you there to cradle their broken bodies with your tenderness? Most Merciful One, send us a sign that you are there within the devastation and crippling heartbreak of every person touched by war in Syria, […]

Our Backs Tell Stories: A Prayer Honoring Women Confronting Gender Based Violence (January 9, 2025)

“Our backs tell stories no books have the spine to carry.” – Rupi Kaur Divine Mother, our world is filled with great sorrow. The tragedy of violence against women across continents is alarming, and yet, it continues to increase in volume. Heal us, protect us, and inspire us to demand change. Thank you for the […]

Always We Begin Again: Prayers After the Jeju Air Crash, New Orleans, and Jimmy Carter’s Death (January 2, 2025)

Always We Begin Again “The first rule is simply this; live this life and do whatever is done, in a spirit of Thanksgiving. Abandon attempts to achieve security, they are futile, give up the search for wealth, it is demeaning, quit the search for salvation, it is selfish, and come to comfortable rest in the […]

Co-Guardians of a Fragile Planet: A Prayer in the Season of Creation for Floods, Drought, and Hunger (September 26, 2024)

“Prayer is nothing else than a sense of God’s presence.” ~ Brother Laurence (lay brother, Paris, France 1614-1691) “Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God.” ~ Mother Theresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) “We have to pray with our eyes on God and not on the difficulties.” ~ Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) “I (Jesus) tell you, […]

Lord, Have Mercy: Prayers After the Southport Killings and for Sudan’s Refugees (August 1, 2024)

O God of all peoples. Hear these prayers as bits and pieces of the news this week are shared. You know all sorrows and joys. It seems like a heavy and fearful time right now. Shine your light on these times bringing clarity and justice, peace and recovery. Renew our hearts and minds. Bring your […]

This Is My Song: Prayers for Typhoon Gaemi, Global Hunger and New Zealand’s Abuse Inquiry (July 25, 2024)

World in Prayer is seeking a few more volunteers to join our team! Each week, one writer compiles the news and crafts the accompanying prayers. The week’s editor checks the prayers for accuracy and coherence, then posts them on our website. Team members generally serve approximately once every 4-6 weeks. Requirements: an interest in international […]

Under Every Frozen Ground: Prayers for Ukraine, Gaza, Somalia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia (January 25, 2024)

Under every floor is soil, within all soil are roots—taking in nourishment in the unseen dark. Frozen though it may be, each seed holds possibility of transformation. God of transformation, we cry with the Psalmist “how long” when we look upon the suffering of your beloved people and the ways we pit ourselves against one […]

Comfort, Comfort My People: Prayers for Gaza, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Indonesia (December 7, 2023)

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”  –Isaiah 40:1 Comforting God of us all, Oh, how we need your abiding peace.  A peace that only you can give as we navigate this season in our homes, our relationships, our jobs, our neighborhoods, and our world. God, you say “comfort, comfort,” and yet we feel the […]

I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food: A Matthew 25 Prayer for the Least of These (November 23, 2023)

During a week when many ponder the end of the liturgical year and may follow the lectionary reading from Matthew 25: 31-46, “Judgement of the Nations,” we pray: For I was hungry and you gave me food. . . The world mourns the loss of United States humanitarian and political organizer Rev. Arthur Simon, founder […]