World in Prayer

Sharing in God’s loving compassion for all

Prayers for Indonesia

Indonesia is named in these prayers through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and the floods that displaced close to a million people in Sumatra and Aceh. Forest loss to palm oil and threats to the wildlife of Sumatra appear often, as do bombings, a missing submarine, and silenced voices in West Papua.

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 […]

Not One Sparrow Forgotten: Prayers for Famine in Yemen, Cyclone Debbie, and Wildlife (March 30, 2017)

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.  But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Luke 12:6-7   In the glory of the changing seasons; in the beauty of the […]

Love Never Fails: Prayers for Stranded Whales in New Zealand, the Oroville Dam, and Lahore (February 16, 2017)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always […]

Because the Media Is Silent: Advent Prayers for Aleppo, Yemen, and Earthquake Zones (December 28, 2016)

We have come to worship you, Shepherd of Israel.  Out of the busy-ness we create for ourselves at this season, we come to remember why.   We give thanks for the bravery of Mary, for the courage of Joseph,  and we ask that these qualities support us in the face of overwhelming commercialization and the rewriting of […]

Lord, In Your Tenderness: Advent Prayers After a California Fire and Indonesia’s Earthquake (December 28, 2016)

“Father in heaven, The day draws near when the glory of your Son Will make radiant the night of the waiting world. May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy Which moves the heart of those who seek Him. May the darkness not blind us To the vision of wisdom Which fills […]

Lord, In Your Mercy: Prayers for Mosul, Aleppo, Hurricane Matthew, and Thailand (December 28, 2016)

Once again, Lord, the voice of the prophets remains strikingly relevant through the centuries.  Joel 2:24-25a reminds us that: The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten.  As we pray for people who are […]

Prayers of Contrast: Bombings in Istanbul and Jakarta, and Flint’s Poisoned Water (January 14, 2016)

Your love is steadfast, O Lord, but how fickle we are. We are never satisfied. In our dissatisfaction we destroy that which we do not understand and devastate that which satisfies as if there is never enough. Our prayers are prayers of contrast as we recognize political, financial and economic pressures are very different across […]

Act With Justice, Love Mercy: Prayers After the Sanaa Mosque Bombing and the Sumatra Fires (September 24, 2015)

“Now Israel, what does the LORD your God desire from you? Only this: fear him, walk in all his ways, love him, serve him with all your heart and in all your life.  Deuteronomy 10: 12 (NIV) The Lord has shown you what is good. He has told you what he requires of you. You […]

Love One Another: Prayers After the Pakistan Helicopter Crash and Oklahoma Tornadoes (May 8, 2015)

Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” God of Love and Light and Life, God of All Time and No Time, sometimes the demands of everyday life just overtake us and we forget, we lose track, we neglect those things to which we have committed ourselves- […]