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.

May Our Groans Be Prayer: For Gun Violence, Hunger in Afghanistan and Yemen, and Nepal (June 2, 2022)

God, there are hardly any words for these times. You promise that when we are in these unfathomable places Your very Spirit intercedes with groans too deep for words. We need that now, as we groan through our exhausted bodies and tattered hearts. May our groans be prayer, be release for all we feel without […]

We Need You Now: A Prayer After the Uvalde School Shooting and the Buffalo Supermarket Massacre (May 26, 2022)

God, We need you now. We needed you yesterday. We need you today. We need you tomorrow. We need you now. We need you to do something. To stop the brutal unfathomable violence that is surfacing in every part of our world. We need you to change the hearts of lawmakers. We need you to […]

How Long That Road Is: A Prayer for Shireen Abu Akleh, Journalists Killed, and Teachers (May 12, 2022)

How long that road is. But, for all the time the journey has taken, how we have needed every second of it in order to learn what the road passes by. – Dag Hammarskjold* We pray. The newspaper lies in a plastic bag in the driveway. The news shows up on our phone or TV […]

The Dashing of Hopes: Prayers for Iraq, Failed Reforestation, and Wildfires in New Mexico (May 5, 2022)

Lord, where do we begin?   We want to talk about the dashing of hopes, the failure of inspiration, the death of expectation. Afghanistan has fallen out of our consciousness as Ukraine falls into our attention, and now there is what’s happening in Iraq, as army and separatists clash and thousands flee. Monoculture (rubber trees) has […]

Make Us Instruments of Your Peace: Prayers for Ukraine, Darfur, and Missing Women in Mexico (April 28, 2022)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. ”  —Prayer of Saint Francis Resurrecting Christ, you turned the world upside down and […]

Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen: Prayers for Shanghai’s Lockdown and Besieged Mariupol (April 21, 2022)

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” John 20:28, 29 Eternal God, three in one and one in three; We give thanks for the countless faithful believers who, down […]

Relative and Absolute Poverty: A Prayer for Those Slipping Into Want (March 31, 2022)

Creator God, I am so privileged that I don’t know I am!   Living here in the first world it is striking to hear someone explain the difference between “relative poverty” and “absolute poverty.”   We pray that we are forgiven our attempts to pray for the whole world while neglecting to centre ourselves on You.  As the seasons […]

This Little Light of Mine: A Prayer Around the Continents, One Month Into the War (March 24, 2022)

God you are light. Your light reflects within us and shines forth as we connect with one another in your Love moving through us, shining forth. All around the world we hear children in all languages sing of this light… This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it […]

When Flesh and Heart Fail: Prayers for Ukraine’s Refugees and China’s Lockdowns (March 17, 2022)

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26 Heavenly God, We fail constantly.  Our very bodies fail as they are so fragile.  How often have we wondered what to do, and choose the wrong action, words, or tone we take in everything […]