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.

Look With Your Eyes: Advent Prayers for Hungry Children in DR Congo and Refugees in Limbo (December 14, 2017)

Holy One, “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” (John 1) “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of […]

Comfort, O Comfort My People: An Advent Prayer After the Travel Ban and Delhi’s Toxic Air (December 7, 2017)

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:1-2, NRSV) God of comfort, we live in a world that increasingly reveals its disconnection from […]

God of Grace and Glory: A Thanksgiving Prayer for the Rohingya and Those Facing Deportation (November 23, 2017)

“…for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” ~ Matthew 25:42-43 God of […]

A Reformation Litany at 500 Years: Prayers for Disaster Recovery, Iceland’s Forests, and Raqqa (October 26, 2017)

A 500th Anniversary Reformation Litany (Adapted from the writings of Lutheran reformers) Note: 31 October 2017 marks 500 years since the monk and priest Martin Luther nailed a series of statements calling for reform in the Catholic church to the door of the city church in Wittenberg, Germany. This action unwittingly set off the German […]

May We Love Urgently: Prayers for Puerto Rico, the Rohingya, Wildfires, and Mogadishu (October 19, 2017)

Dear Lord, Your people in Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean have looked up into rain flooded skies and out onto destroyed homelands, waiting for water, food, shelter and the provision of medical care. Open the hearts of decision makers to release funds to continue the rescue, to bring relief and stability. Smooth the communications […]

Who Is My Neighbor: A Sabbath Prayer for Kurdistan, Catalonia, Bali, and Vanuatu (September 28, 2017)

Ex 31:16 “The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.”(NIV) Creator God, you give us every good and perfect gift. We celebrate the equinox so easily, the turning of the world and change of seasons, the seedtime and the harvest; our unique place in the […]

Hear Our Cries: A Prayer for Storm-Struck Communities, DACA Families, and Journalists Silenced (September 7, 2017)

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. -Ps.119:34 The commandments…are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” -Romans 13:9-10 Abba, Father of each one of us wherever we […]

Lead Us From Darkness to Light: A Prayer for Peace 72 Years After Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 10, 2017)

Dear God Today we pray for peace. We remember those who perished with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan 72 years ago this week. The monuments and memorials and parks in these cities and other cities and lands having suffered holocausts remind us that our prayers are mighty and necessary. Help us to […]

There Is a Balm in Gilead: Prayers for Those Jailed for Speaking Out, Firefighters, and Elephants (August 3, 2017)

The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. Psalm 145:14 There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul. God of grace and glory, God who knows our hearts and minds, you can see, you […]

Sighs Too Deep for Words: Prayers for a World of Fires, Floods, Famine, and War (July 27, 2017)

The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple…. My eyes shed streams of tears because your law is not kept. Ps 119: 130, 136 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs […]