Prayers for Somalia

Drought across the Horn of Africa, food insecurity, and famine return again and again in the prayers for Somalia, together with conflict, evictions, and families displaced within the country and beyond it. Teachers working in hard conditions and Somalis met with travel bans abroad are remembered too.

Who Is My Neighbor: Prayers for Standing Rock, the Kabul Bombing, and Louisiana Tornadoes (February 9, 2017)

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. -Luke 10:27 “it is written in the law.” heart & soul. love. neighbor. even if they aren’t nice. another chance to hear that answer. […]

Father, Forgive Them: A Prayer After the First Week of a New US Administration (January 26, 2017)

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” – Jesus, spoken as he was being crucified (Luke 23:34) For almost 17 years, World In Prayer has been posting prayers based on international news, trying to say and show that every human being, in every country, is beloved by God. Trying to find the […]

Thou Lightest My Candle: Prayers After the Istanbul Nightclub Attack and for Karen Refugees (January 5, 2017)

Psalm 18:28 – Thou lightest my candle. The Lord my God enlightens the darkness. Dear Creator and Comforter, Oh, how we need your light and sustenance. We are reminded of the Holy Family that took flight 2000 years ago, and of the many exiles and refugees of today; we are reminded of the lowly and […]

We Thirst for You: Advent Prayers After the Colombia Plane Crash and Tropical Storm Otto (December 28, 2016)

O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will […]

Guide Us in Truth and Love: Prayers for Mosul, Standing Rock, and a Divided America (December 28, 2016)

On Sunday after Sunday in our worship we sing: Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, Whose blood set us free to be people of God. Power and riches, wisdom and strength, And honor and blessing and glory are his. And with these words in mind this day, we pray […]

He Comes to Us as One Unknown: A Prayer for Refugees, the Sick, and All Who Cry for Justice (April 7, 2016)

He comes to us as One unknown, without a name, as of old, by the lakeside, He came to those men who knew Him not. He speaks to us the same words: ‘Follow thou me!’ and sets us to the tasks which He has to fulfill for our time. –Albert Schweitzer You come to us, […]

Free Me from the Shackles of My Privilege: A Prayer from Somalia to Haiti (March 11, 2016)

Alpha and Omega God, I realize again and again that I am a person of privilege. I am confronted with the fact that I have so much, so many opportunities. I am convicted by my daily “concerns;” which restaurant will I go to for dinner, will my latest on-line shopping purchases be delivered on […]

He Came Down That We May Have Peace: An Epiphany Prayer for Persecuted Christians (January 7, 2016)

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;…” “I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Do not be afraid, for I am with you;” Isaiah 43: 1 & 5 “Why did he come? He came down that we may have love, … peace, … joy.” Cameroon (Africa) Carol As we celebrate the Baptism […]

Let My People Go: A Prayer Naming the Pharaohs That Drive Refugees From Home (September 10, 2015)

Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land. Tell all Pharaohs to, “let My people go.” Oh God, our God, and God of every suffering refugee, we join in prayer to ask for the wisdom and the courage to name the pharaohs that make life intolerable for so many people in the world. We recognize that: […]

Well May the World Go: A Prayer of Anguish After the Charleston Church Shooting (June 18, 2015)

Well may the world go, The world go, the world go, Well may the world go, When I’m far away. — Pete Seeger (c. 1973) For months now, this has been my wake-up song, a conscious choice to spend my first moments of each day letting go of all I can’t control, of all I cannot […]