Prayers for South Sudan

Civil war and the displacement it causes shape most of what has been prayed for South Sudan, together with famine, drought, and some of the lowest household incomes anywhere. Peace agreements, peacekeepers, and children settled in refugee camps across the border are named here as well.

Not One Sparrow Forgotten: Prayers for Famine in Yemen, Cyclone Debbie, and Wildlife (March 30, 2017)

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7 In the glory of the changing seasons; in the beauty of the […]

Like a Tree Planted by the Water: A Prayer Amid Famine in South Sudan and East Africa (March 23, 2017)

Jeremiah 17:8 New International Version (NIV) They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Our prayers come before […]

Lord, Have Mercy: A Prayer for South Sudan, Kidnapped Children in Ethiopia, and Syria (March 16, 2017)

Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Here and there and everywhere in between, On you and me and everyone in between, Now and later and upon everything in between. Lord Christ, we need your mercy. The suffering in South Sudan echoes the horrors of civil war, genocide and ethnic cleansing that mock the hope of […]

Go From Your Country: Prayers for Famine in South Sudan, Cyclone Enawo, and the Kabul Attack (March 9, 2017)

Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who […]

Teach Us to Pray Thoughtfully: The South Sudan Famine, the Armyworm, and Cyclone Alfred (February 23, 2017)

This week, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from 146 countries celebrated World Thinking Day. Lord, we pray that all members of the various uniformed organisations will remember these years as time of enjoyment, friendship and enlightenment. We pray that their leaders will not abuse in any way the power and trust placed in them, but […]

Bad Deeds Have Consequences: Prayers After the Aleppo Aid Convoy Strike and Police Shootings (September 22, 2016)

“The Bible says little about the temperature of hell nor the furniture of heaven”. This quote from the great German theologian Reinhold Niebuhr fits in with the story of the rich man and Lazarus where we are made aware of the dangers of being mean with our money and uncharitable to others. This is echoed […]

Remember, O God: Prayers for Colombia’s Peace, Gabon’s Election, and the 9/11 Anniversary (September 8, 2016)

Remember, O God. Remember how you, O God, were determined to kill the Israelites whom you had brought out of Egypt, because they had turned against you and worshiped other gods. Remember how Moses called you to account? How he reminded you that you had made promises of faithfulness to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel? Remember…that […]

Here I Am: Prayers for Syria and Yemen, Louisiana Floods, Wildfires, and the Chibok Girls (August 18, 2016)

World News in Prayer for Thursday, August 18, 2016 Isaiah 58:9, 10 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and God will say, Here I am…If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of […]

Forgive Us Our Poverty of Spirit: Prayers After the Killings in Japan, Germany, and France (July 28, 2016)

‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy’. ~ Ezekiel 16:49 You, creator God, are merciful and just; loving all that you created and seeing that your works are good. You draw all creation to you with […]

Teach Us to Listen: A Prayer After the Attack in Nice and a Week of Violence (July 14, 2016)

There is a terrifying passage in ‘I and Thou’ by the Jewish mystic Martin Buber in which God says ‘I have sunk my hearing in the deafness of mortals’. If this should be even partly true what a tremendous responsibility it places upon us to listen, to listen to each other with our whole attention, […]