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.

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 […]

In the Midst of Chaos, I Will Be Peace: A Prayer as the Gaza Ceasefire Breaks Down (November 30, 2023)

Editor: Shortly after the prayers were posted, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas broke down. In light of this, as duty editor, I have amended and re-posted our prayers.In the midst of chaos, I will be peace. In the heart of anger, I will be love. In the presence of despair, I will be hope. […]

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 […]

A Prayer Is Not a News Bulletin: Praying for Peace in Gaza, Ukraine, Syria, and Yemen (November 16, 2023)

Dear God, A prayer is not a news bulletin, a donation request, telegram, text message, or a voice message. One could suppose that each could contain elements of a prayer, but they seem quite secular and every day. How do we ask you to bring your peace that passes all understanding among us in these […]

God of Our Longings: Prayers for Gaza, Ukraine, Migrant Caravans, and Nepal’s Earthquakes (November 9, 2023)

God of our Longings, The German root of longing, langen, is ‘reach, extend.’ We reach and extend our hands and hearts to You. We reach and extend our hands and hearts to each other as we see so much that is broken and longing to be made whole again. We long for deep and lasting […]

For the Souls of the Departed: An All Souls Prayer After Gaza, Avdiivka, and Kerala (November 2, 2023)

Merciful One, it is not for us to judge those who have died.  Rather, we come to you with the assurance of your great compassion.  We unite with these wounded brothers and sisters of ours and believe that you draw all to your forgiving heart.  May the love we bear be encouragement for all souls […]

It Could Have Been Me: A Personal Prayer on Israel, Hamas, and Inherited Grief (October 26, 2023)

My maternal grandparents wanted to emigrate to Israel. Growing up as extremely poor Jews in Poland,  in 1920 they were barely out of their teens when they caught the dream of a safe homeland for Jews, governed not by hereditary leaders, but by the people. With no ships willing to transport Jews to what the […]

Let Us Be Free From War: A Prayer for Countries Facing Terrorist Insurgency (October 19, 2023)

Words Found in the Rubble after the Final War Yes, we lived in a time of darkness and did nothing. Yes, we looked up and we saw the sky on fire and we knew that we had made the flames with our own hands. Yes, we wasted every breath on rage. Children, if any of […]

Like Trees Planted by Streams of Water: Prayers for Israel, Ukraine, and a Fragile Planet (October 12, 2023)

Psalm 1 (NRSVUE) 1 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers, 2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. Holy One, as we look […]

The Thinnest Silence: A Prayer About Listening for the Voice of God (September 28, 2023)

Holy One, Divine Creator, whom some name God, we pray every week for so many things: for those suffering from effects of climate change and the earthquakes, the hurricanes, the super droughts, super fires, and the super floods; for children and women abused and sold and trafficked even in our modern era of development; for […]