World in Prayer

Sharing in God’s loving compassion for all

Prayers for Israel

Israel is held in these prayers chiefly through conflict and its aftermath: rocket fire and airstrikes, hostages and ceasefires, and the grief shared with Palestine and Lebanon. Elections, government tension and corruption inquiries are noted, as are journalists at risk and people who long for an ordinary, secure day.

A Little Bit of Mercy: Prayers Remembering Pope Francis and the Kashmir Attack (April 24, 2025)

The world lost a great leader this week – Pope Francis – head of the Catholic Church since 2013 until his death at the age of 88 on April 21st, just one day after giving his Easter address. Although World in Prayer provides ecumenical prayers, this week, in honour of the man who brought liberation […]

Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace: A Holy Week Prayer for Gaza and the West Bank (April 17, 2025)

As the Christian world celebrates the holiest three days of the year, we lift in prayer the people of the very lands that Jesus trod before he rose to deliver us from sin. Unfortunately, the first stage of the ceasefire between the Israelis and the Palestinians expired last month and the combating parties and outside […]

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, […]

A Song of Peace: Prayers for Greenland, Venezuela, and Gaza with Dag Hammarskjold (March 27, 2025)

The author of this week’s prayer writes, “Last week, our church hosted clergy from India, Holland, Belgium, Austria, the Czech Republic for an international meeting.  I welcomed them with a sign listing their names and unsorted flags and invited observers to connect the national flag to each name.  When some nations appear to want to […]

The Goodness That Still Abounds: A Lenten Prayer for Syria, Lagos, and Racial Justice (March 13, 2025)

In this journey through Lent, We know what it’s like to wait, to long, and to feel heavy. We know what it’s like to feel anxiety over the situations happening in our world. Over looming tariffs and counter-tariffs in the U.S., Canada, and China, Over the bad batch of Fentanyl that is claiming the lives […]

A World Prayer for Unity, Peace, and Healing: Gaza, Serbia, and Ukraine (March 6, 2025)

A World Prayer for Unity, Peace, and Healing We come together in this sacred moment, our hearts intertwined across continents and cultures, acknowledging the diverse tapestry of beliefs that enrich our world. Today, we lift our prayers for healing, understanding, and harmony, recognizing the sacredness in all paths toward truth and love. We hold in […]

Have Mercy: A Prayer After Bishop Budde’s Plea, for USAID and a Wounded World (February 20, 2025)

Introduction to the prayer:  (If prayer is used in a worship service, the people, the congregation, read aloud the bold print.) Just over a month ago, the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration, The Right Reverend Mariann Budde, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington D.C., USA  delivered a sermon at the Washington Cathedral as a prelude […]

Cries for Justice the World Over: Prayers for Cambodia’s Landmines, Deportees in El Salvador, and Jenin (February 6, 2025)

Loving God, grant us a reprieve from world chaos, often inspired by rash political behavior, that increases suffering in the world’s poorest regions and of the most downcast people. Cambodia, because of the cutting of USAID funds, has halted land mine removal in the country. Between four and six million explosive remnants of ward (ERWs) […]

Prayers for the Ones Jesus Blessed: The Washington DC Air Crash, Ebola in Uganda, and Goma (January 30, 2025)

Loving God, it is sometimes difficult to find the words to pray when our hearts and souls feel weary about all that is happening in our world.  We look for comfort and hope, but sometimes the situations that surround us need a miracle. As we come to you in prayer this week, let us remember […]

Be Still and Know: A Prayer for the Gaza Ceasefire, California Fires and a World in Whirl (January 16, 2025)

Writer’s note: Unexpectedly, I am to write this week, with my mind in a whirl of clamoring news and imminent events. If the eminent theologian, Rowan Williams, uses the prayer method of ‘I turn up, and shut up’, it will more than suffice for my need and hopefully yours. Let us journey together under the […]