World in Prayer

Sharing in God’s loving compassion for all

Prayers for Nigeria

Conflict in the north runs through the prayers for Nigeria, with abductions, displacement and the food insecurity that follows. Floods, building collapses, protest and policing also appear, and thanksgiving is offered for teachers, clean-energy projects and communities working for peace.

Who Is So Hurt I May Not Know Their Heartache: After the California Oil Spill (May 21, 2015)

“Who is so hurt I may not know their heartache?” asks the old hymn I Would Be True. We pray today for the heartbreak of the world. For the heartbreak of those who struggle with over 100 thousand gallons of oil poured from a broken pipeline…who struggle with the devastating effects on one of the […]

The Sacred Among Us: Prayers for Nepal’s Displaced and for Mothers Everywhere (May 7, 2015)

In all our joys and in all our concerns, may we be ever mindful of the presentness of the sacred among us, and to see new possibilities of the now. Creativity God, be our guide in re-imagining our human institutions of government. As the United Kingdom‘s parliament undergoes a change and the United States continues to […]

Prayer Tree: After the Nepal Earthquake, the Baltimore Riots, and Chile’s Calbuco Volcano (April 30, 2015)

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. – Romans 12: 12   I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. -1 Cor 14: 14 – 16   Pray continually – 1 Thessalonians […]

We Live in the In-Between Times: An Easter Prayer After Garissa and for a Thirsty Planet (April 3, 2015)

It is the in-between time. At my church, we have just ended the Maundy Thursday service, remembered Jesus’ institution of the first Eucharist, been commanded to love as he loves us, washed one another’s feet, then stripped the altar. Tonight, Jesus will spend in agonizing prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and we, his disciples, will try […]

Love the Least of These: Prayers for Migrants Drowned Off Libya and for Chapel Hill (February 12, 2015)

As we prepare ourselves for the holy season of Lent, let us reflect in prayer on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: that when we love the least of these, we love you, Lord. Help us to love the least of these in prison. We pray for prisoners throughout the world. We pray that […]

Renewing the Rainbow Covenant: Prayers for Malawi’s Floods and a Warming World (February 5, 2015)

The story has it, God, that only a few generations after you created the world and pronounced it “Good”, you looked down and saw that it was filled with wickedness. So much so, that you decided to wipe out every living creature. Except for the family of one righteous man – Noah – and a […]

Release to the Captives: Prayers for Raif Badawi and Boko Haram’s Kidnapped Girls (January 22, 2015)

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”  Mark 1:14-15   We know, Lord, that you call us to a far wider agenda than proclaiming good news and […]

Go and Do Likewise: Prayers for West Africa’s Ebola Outbreak and a Divided America (November 6, 2014)

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?  He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “Go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37) Heavenly Father, few parables are as easy to understand as the story of the good Samaritan. And […]

What Does This Love Look Like: Prayers for Malala’s Nobel Prize and Boko Haram’s Captives (October 30, 2014)

One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a […]