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.

Act With Justice, Love Mercy: Prayers After the Sanaa Mosque Bombing and the Sumatra Fires (September 24, 2015)

“Now Israel, what does the LORD your God desire from you? Only this: fear him, walk in all his ways, love him, serve him with all your heart and in all your life. Deuteronomy 10: 12 (NIV) The Lord has shown you what is good. He has told you what he requires of you. You […]

Hear My Prayer: For Refugees Crossing the Mediterranean and the Chile Earthquake (September 17, 2015)

Mark 9:35: And Jesus said to his followers, Whomever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. We are not good at servanthood, loving God. We are not good at putting the needs of others first. We are not good at seeing through eyes of justice and compassion. Those are […]

Out of the Darkness We Cry to You: Prayers for Palmyra, Lahore, and Western Wildfires (August 27, 2015)

(Thanks to the Evangelical Lutheran Church for some of these prayer petitions.) Out of the darkness we cry to you, O God. Enable us to find in Christ the faith to trust in your care even in the midst of pain. Assure us that we do not walk alone through the valley of the shadow, […]

Hold It in Trust: A Prayer for the Care of Creation, Climate Change, and Nuclear Peace (August 20, 2015)

God, of whose creative force it is said: “Before the world was created, the Holy One kept creating worlds and destroying them. Finally He created this one, and was satisfied. He said to Adam: ‘This is the last world I shall make. I place it in your hands: hold it in trust.’ “ [Gates of […]

Give Us Wisdom to Discern: Prayers After the China Warehouse Blast and a Baghdad Truck Bomb (August 13, 2015)

God, in the trouble of this world, in the confusion of rumor and news, in the anxiety of daily life, we pray that you will give us wisdom, that we may discern between good and evil. Give us wisdom in selecting our leaders. We pray for Sri Lanka as they prepare for their Parliamentary […]

Today the World Is Full of Glory: A Prayer on the 70th Anniversary of Hiroshima (August 6, 2015)

Today is the 70th anniversary of the atomic bomb dropping on Hiroshima, and three days later over Nagasaki. At a ceremony to mark the anniversary, which included Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, said “Seventy years on I want to re-emphasize the necessity of world peace.” The Church of England […]

Souls Stitched With Love: Prayers for Sandra Bland, the Lafayette Theater Shooting, and Syria (July 30, 2015)

Heavenly Father and Mother, be with us today and in all times. We call upon you in our most vulnerable moments. We call for you to bear witness to our lives, to help us take the steps needed to serve you with love, compassion, faith, and understanding. Continue to remind us that it is our […]

Be Still and Know That I Am God: A Prayer for Peace Talks in Afghanistan and the Iran Agreement (July 16, 2015)

“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” -Psalm 46:10 (NRSV) In the midst of the tasks of life, the busy-ness, the rush, the never-ending to-do lists, it is easy to lose sight of you, O God. Still us now, so that […]

How Long, O Lord: Prayers After the Kuwait Mosque and Tunisia Beach Attacks (July 2, 2015)

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light […]

Give Us the Patience to Listen: Prayers for Greece, Charleston, and Pakistan’s Heatwave (June 25, 2015)

Lord of the past, present and future, sometimes I have this view of you pushing your hair back, in exasperation, and wondering when will we return to you and listen. Just once in our lives – really listen, then do something. It must be so vexing to you when we do something then complain – […]