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.

Grief and Hope: A Prayer After the Thailand School Shooting and the Kabul Bombing (October 13, 2022)

We long to become disciples of silence and hear in that shimmery soundlessness the voice of the One who whispers in stillness, whose singing vibrates in stones, who out of the silence calls forth a radical commitment of which we do not yet know the shape. – Christine Valters Paintner We pray to the One […]

The Chaos Before Creation: A Prayer for Iran’s Protests and Hurricane Ian (September 29, 2022)

Holy One, We feel the chaos before creation in the very core of our being. The changing tides – first swelling with hope then sliding toward despair. Waves of grief crash over us, shaking the foundations of our lives. We are buoyed with anticipation excited by what the future holds. Our focus is drawn inward to […]

The Lord’s Prayer for a Hurting World: Violence Against Women, Floods, and Global Drought (September 22, 2022)

Writer’s note: I have no idea where this version of the Lord’s Prayer came from, so I apologise for not giving credit where credit is due. I know I’ve amended it over the years, but it is something that draws me back time and again. So I am using it as a framework for this […]

Discouragement and Hope: After the James Smith Cree Nation Killings and Queen Elizabeth II (September 15, 2022)

Divine One, as we look out upon your world and ours, it is so easy to see things which discourage and dismay us… The deaths last week on the James Smith Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada, with ten murdered, eighteen critically wounded and both perpetrators losing their lives. The on-going devastating results of climate […]

Let Divine Light Shine: Prayers for Ukraine, Pakistan’s Floods, and Europe’s Drought (September 1, 2022)

As God’s beloved children, let us pray that Divine Light shine on the nations, the earth, and all those in need. For your beloved in war torn areas around the globe, and for areas like Ukraine and Palestine, where foreign occupiers are forcefully controlling villages and territories, we pray for peaceful paths toward justice; For […]

Take Your Bible and Take Your Newspaper: Prayers for Myanmar, Nicaragua, and a Thirsting Europe (August 25, 2022)

Creator God, Guided by the words of your servant German pastor Karl Barth, “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible,” we beseech you for the protection of members of our world community: For a universal water supply that is free of PFAS, forever chemicals. Guide the […]

Not a Spirit of Fear: A Prayer After the Attack on Salman Rushdie, and for Refugees (August 18, 2022)

Holy One, In these times, with the world news heavily upon us, we reflect upon words from 2 Timothy: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (New Living Translation) Ten years ago, speaking in New York (U.S.), Indian-born British-American novelist Salman Rushdie said that […]

O God, Why Are You Silent: Prayers for Ukraine, Rafah, Wildfires, and Pakistan’s Floods (August 11, 2022)

Writers note: As I faced writing these prayers, all that kept resonating through my mind was the hymn, “O God, Why Are You Silent” written by Marty Haugen and found in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship. The words of the first two verses resound in my breaking heart (it can be sung to any 7676D hymn […]

We Bring You Everything: A Prayer for the Lambeth Conference and a Scorched Planet (August 4, 2022)

Writer’s note: I am one of half dozen members of our small World in Prayer Team who needed a break. But then I read last week’s posting and realised I could not be party to this important ministry faltering – albeit temporarily. I find myself with nothing, yet also too much, to pray for – […]

The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye: Prayers for Ukraine, European Wildfires, and Hunger (July 21, 2022)

As I draw close to you in prayer, Holy One, I struggle to put words to the cries of my heart and soul. As I read the news of the world, it is a challenge to remain positive and hopeful. So much pain, so much hurt, so much grief, so much destruction. I long for […]