Prayers for Japan

Natural disaster shapes much of what has been prayed for Japan: earthquakes and tsunami, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, blizzards, and heatwaves, with the long aftermath of Fukushima returning more than once. Prayers also mark violence against disabled people, rescues at sea, and steps toward equal marriage.

Do Not Be Afraid: Prayers for Gaza’s Journalists, Nagasaki at Eighty, and Gun Violence (August 14, 2025)

Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom…Be dressed for action and have your lamp lit. Luke 12:32-40 Not a warning, but a gentle reminder like waking up a child from sleep to get ready for the journey of the day, we too have clothes […]

Light to the Deepest Gloom: Prayers After the Kamchatka Earthquake and Tsunami (July 31, 2025)

“But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are His … He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness; He brings light to the deepest gloom.” Job 12:13-22  We come together from diverse traditions—Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Indigenous, and more—to hold this moment in sacred care. For those affected by natural disasters Merciful […]

A Prayer at the Equinox: Airstrikes in Gaza, a Prisoner Exchange, and Signs of Hope (March 20, 2025)

As we enter the Vernal Equinox today, March 20, when day and night are roughly equal all around the globe, we long for your balance, O God. Too often we find ourselves lost in what seems like the endless darkness of the news and we are unable to see the light. This day, guide us […]

Our World Is Broken: Prayers After the Haiti Massacre, the Fall of Assad, and for the Hibakusha (December 12, 2024)

Dear God, Our world is broken in ways that pain us: Our hearts break with those who are grieving, especially those in Haiti after the massacre that left over 180 people dead. We pray that this situation will not escalate with retaliation, but will be ended by justice and reconciliation that prevails. Our minds whirl […]

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: Prayers for the Israel Lebanon Ceasefire and Aid to Gaza (November 28, 2024)

Will you come to our world, God? And will you come with hope? For we see too many situations we can only lament, too few that lift our spirits; too much despair, too little resilience and respect; too many longings and laments and limited visions, too few steps forward. O come, O come, Emmanuel. And […]

Glimmers of Grace: Prayers for Elections, Gaza, the Spanish Floods and Sudan’s Women (October 31, 2024)

Loving God, We know that our world is often uncertain. Many nations have recently faced elections, such as British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick in Canada, and Japan, where the Liberal Democratic Party, which has held power almost continually since 1955, lost its single-party majority at Sunday’s election. We also know that in some places, elections […]

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, […]

Transcendent and Intimate: Prayers for Sudan’s Displaced, a Sao Paulo Crash and India’s Doctors (August 15, 2024)

Holy One, you are both transcendent, stretching far beyond our understanding and intimate, closer than the air we breathe. I find comfort in that! Especially when tragedy and illness strikes close to home, it is comforting to know that I am surrounded by your love and care AND at the same time that same love […]

All Are Your Beloved Children: Prayers for Bangladesh, the UK Riots, and Japan’s Earthquake (August 8, 2024)

O Lord, We grow in our awareness of you as we enter this time of prayer. You never leave any one of us. We are grateful for your enduring love. Help us to remember that all are your beloved children. God, there are times when we are not our best selves. Help us to become […]

Make Us Instruments of Your Peace: A Prayer for Gaza, Haiti, and Countries at War (March 14, 2024)

May these words of St. Francis (in italics), written so long ago, prayed on so many hearts and lips, from places of longing and agony, from places of peace seeking more peace, guide our prayers: Lord, make us instruments of your peace: In all countries with armed conflict. Palestine and Israel, Ukraine and Russia, many […]