World in Prayer

Sharing in God’s loving compassion for all

Prayers for Syria

Syria appears here mainly through the long war and its displacement, with families scattered into neighboring countries and beyond, health care and shelter in short supply, and religious minorities among those held in prayer. Chemical weapons, ceasefire talks and repeated negotiations are named plainly, along with thanks for those who help.

An Aftermath Prayer: Remembering Hurricanes, Refugees and a Martyr Fifty Years On (April 5, 2018)

An Aftermath Prayer (Luke 24:32-33) Holy God, You defeated doubt and death on Easter morning. You turned the world of what is possible and impossible upside down. You gave us Resurrection. Now comes the aftermath. In the aftermath of many things in life we often fail to follow through with our joy, our intentions, our […]

At the Foot of the Cross: Prayers for Families and Friends From Kemerovo to Eastern Ghouta (March 29, 2018)

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.  ~ Ps 22:27   Lord, when we think of Mary at the foot of the cross supported by family and friends it is a week for families to cling together. As […]

Show Us the Next Right Step: Prayers for Sri Lanka, Syria, Yemen, and School Shooting Survivors (March 8, 2018)

Holy One, When we want to linger in shadows, you expose us to light. When we want to slump into a corner, you lift us up in your presence. When we think our words, our actions, our lives have no effect, you remind us that we are leading people in surprising and unexpected ways. So […]

Cradle Your Children: Prayers for Europe’s Snows, Syria, Parkland, and Ethiopia’s Emergency (March 1, 2018)

Holy One, You are a God of Might and Majesty, Tenderness and Vulnerability. You are the one who casts stars into the heavens and who brings forth the first green shoots from the fertile ground. All of Creation cannot hold your glory; and yet you cradle us in gentle wings of mercy. All this is […]

Be Still and Know: A Prayer Amid Gunfire, Bombings, and the Cries of Refugees (February 22, 2018)

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) O God, O God, my God, our world is full of anything but stillness. There is no silence to be found, I fear; no quiet about. We hear of your “still small voice”, we know You have taught that there is virtue in silence, we […]

It Seems Very Odd, Lord: Prayers for Cape Town’s Drought, Parkland, and a Week of Crashes (February 15, 2018)

It seems very odd, Lord, that people call for January to be a month to try being vegan when Lent was a period, 40 days, in the time before world trade hit our food markets when it was a necessity.   We pray for those to whom being vegan is not a life style choice […]

Breathe and Behold: Prayers for Cape Town and Flint’s Water, Syria’s Siege, and Winter Olympians (February 8, 2018)

Holy One, We keep scrolling through the news, forever flicking from catastrophe to exhilaration to trauma, over and over and over again. Make us stop. Force us to take a break. Teach us how to breathe. Show us how to behold–rather than barrel through–your world. We pray that we might take a break and breathe […]

Come Fill Us With Your Light: Prayers for Eastern Ghouta, Jalalabad, and the Gambia (January 25, 2018)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. ~ Psalm 111:10 …we know that “all of us possess knowledge.”  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  ~ 1 Corinthians 8:1  …anyone who loves God is known by him. ~ 1 […]

A World of Contrasts: Prayers for Record Cold, Australia’s Heat, and California’s Mudslides (January 11, 2018)

“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” – Heb. 4:12 Lord you provide for our needs and equip us to help, provide for the needs of others […]

Let It Be With Us: Prayers for the Least and the Mighty, from Benin to Catalonia (December 21, 2017)

“Let it be with me according to your word.” –Mary, on learning that she was to bear the son of God (Luke 1:38) Let it be with us, according to Your word. Let the hungry be filled with good things. Let the lowly be lifted up. Let the mighty be cast down. Let your promise of mercy […]