World in Prayer

Sharing in God’s loving compassion for all

Prayers for Ukraine

Much of what is gathered for Ukraine concerns war: the unrest and occupation that came first, the wider invasion that followed, and the families displaced into Poland and other countries. Elections, freedom of speech and the grain harvest also appear, along with prayers for medical workers and for ceasefires that have not yet held.

We Know You Do Not Look Away: For Turkey, Georgia, and Iran’s Schoolgirls (March 16, 2023)

Mighty God, you are in the wind that moves across the waters, that whispers in the night, that will not be contained. You see more than we can ever see, and you do not look away. We know, That you whisper through the wreckage in Turkey, calling life out of death, directing those who work […]

These Trees Are Prayers: For the Greece Train Crash and Iran’s Schoolgirls (March 2, 2023)

                Silence my soul, these trees are prayers. I asked the tree, “Tell me about God” then it blossomed.  — Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) In the snow-laced woods, the blossoms wait deep in the cold branch. We trust the waiting bloom is there. God we trust in your presence in […]

The Bond of Our Common Humanity: A Lenten Prayer for Ukraine and Turkey (February 23, 2023)

“The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.” – Jimmy Carter Oh, Lord, you shepherd us. You follow us. You lead us through the fog of our times. We get caught up in fear and weighed down by seemingly eternal prejudices. As we enter this Lenten season […]

Free Us, Living God: After the Ohio Derailment and Michigan State (February 16, 2023)

Spirit of the living God, help us to let love lead us forward. Many of our hearts are broken. The news in the world is grim. Violence is pervasive. Like ink, slowly seeping to the edge of a cloth, we watch as it spreads, eventually damaging the whole fabric. Soothe our suffering and enable us […]

We Are Standing on Holy Ground: Prayers After the Turkey and Syria Earthquake (February 9, 2023)

“This is holy ground, we’re standing on holy ground For the Lord is present and where He is is holy.” And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:15, Holy Bible, English […]

Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Prayers for Afghan Women and China’s COVID Wave (January 26, 2023)

Creator God, we praise you and give thanks that your son, Jesus, became a person like us and shared our concerns, joys, anxieties, and happiness. (Matthew 5:1-3)When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: […]

You Keep My Lamp Burning: For a Kenyan Shelter and a Russian Protest Artist (January 19, 2023)

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. ~Psalm 18:28 (NIV) Great bearer of light, there is so much beauty that partners with darkness where the undercurrents of sadness and tragedy dwell. May we find beauty in darkness and honor the lessons offered to us. We thank you for the […]

No One Can Be Saved Alone: A Year’s End Prayer for Ukraine, the Climate, and the Common Good (December 29, 2022)

Good and gracious God, We your people, your sons and daughters gather these days on the close of a year.  Joys and challenges of 2022 are to be acknowledged, while we look forward in faith to 2023. We are encouraged by Pope Francis’s January 1, 2023 World Day of Peace Message entitled:  “No one can […]

This Blessing Calls You Home: A Christmas Blessing and Prayer for Every Nation on Earth (December 22, 2022)

A CHRISTMAS BLESSING by Christine Valters Paintner online Abbess at AbbeyoftheArts.com Reproduced with permission This blessing dances at the doorway of light and dark, knows both as sacred: fertile womb space, miracle of blooming. This blessing breathes through those moments of labor when you too birth the holy into this fragile, luminous, hurting world as Mary […]

Somewhere, Right Now: Prayers for Kyiv, Refugees in Poland, and Famine in Somalia (December 8, 2022)

Ancient of Days, Somewhere in Kiev, Ukraine, a man plays his guitar with his old, faithful pup howling along, even though they sing in darkness. Somewhere in Krakow, Poland, a grandmother folds shirts, presses trousers, routines to calm her anxious heart, even as the unexpected guests in their small home yearn to return to their […]