Prayers for the United States

Prayers naming the United States have followed storms, tornadoes, wildfires and floods across many states, along with elections and political tension, gun violence, and questions of migration and race. Health, mental health and the well-being of ordinary households appear often, as do thanksgivings for its landscapes and wild places.

Call to Us Now: Prayers After the Sri Lanka Easter Bombings and the Philippines Earthquake (April 25, 2019)

Holy One, Your Name is above all names, it is so high that we cannot attain it, yet still we seek it. And when we cannot find you, when we do not understand what is happening, when our hearts quake with fear and our spirits tremble with unknowing, when we stumble and search and seek […]

After Notre Dame Burned: A Holy Week Prayer for Sacred Places Under Threat (April 18, 2019)

Holy One, As Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France burned this week, so many millions of us were bound together in heartbreak. As Notre Dame emerged damaged but not fully destroyed, so many millions were bound together in hope. As we consider Paris and Notre Dame, we pray for fulfilling and fruitful work of healing and […]

Tears Become Our Prayers: For Cyclone Idai’s Survivors and the Christchurch Mosques (March 28, 2019)

Holy One, In the dark of the night when tears become our prayers, we believe the Spirit intercedes for us, breathing through our lament. In the light of the day when fears hushes our voice, we believe that Christ listens to all that we carry in deep within our hearts. In the midst of life’s […]

Open Our Senses: Prayers After Cyclone Idai, Midwest Floods, and the Christchurch Massacre (March 21, 2019)

Loving God, We know you as a trusted source of direction and purpose. Sometimes we think our thoughts are your thoughts. Sometimes we pray that they are. But today we pray for the sensory awareness of how you feel. We hope that it will guide us and how we feel about refugees who have experienced […]

Count the Stars: Prayers After Christchurch, the Ethiopia Crash, and the Lagos Collapse (March 14, 2019)

[God] brought [Abram] outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” ~ Genesis 15:5 God of abundance, we know that you are able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, and yet our […]

Safe in the Shadow of the Lord: A Prayer on Cheap Goods, Fake News, and Religious Persecution (March 7, 2019)

“Safe in the shadow of the Lord beneath His hand and power, I trust in Him, I trust in Him, my fortress and my tower.” – paraphrase of Ps 91 by Timothy Dudley-Smith Heavenly Father, Your word and being is of compassion, merciful care and everlasting love to all, regardless of merit. The response […]

Christ Be Our Light: Prayers After the Methodist Vote and the Hanoi Summit (February 28, 2019)

Longing for light, we wait in darkness. Longing for truth, we turn to you. Make us your own, your holy people, Light for the world to see. Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness. Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today. Words and music by Bernadette Farrell […]

We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest: Prayers for Syria, Haiti, and Survivors of Abuse (February 21, 2019)

[Italics are quotes from “Ella’s Song” by Sweet Honey in the Rock.] We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes. Almighty God, we pray for all who fear for their lives around the globe, living in war-torn areas, living in fear of terrorism, and living under oppressive governments, including: the civilians in Baghuz, Syria […]

Touch the Earth Lightly: Prayers for Tasmania’s Fires and Aid Stalled in Yemen (February 14, 2019)

Creator God, It doesn’t seem enough to say we thank you for the beauty of your creation. When we think of all that happened from the growth of our planet, its place in the solar system and the most we can say is “thanks”. You know the gratitude of our hearts, the deep meaning we want to […]

Gather Us In: Prayers for Venezuela, Syria, Yemen, and Australia’s Extreme Heat (February 7, 2019)

Holy One, We pray to see the world as you see it. We pray to have our hearts rejoice with what delights you. We pray to have our hearts break with what grieves you. The world has wonder, but also pain. When our spirits are full of tumult and questions, we turn to you. You […]