World in Prayer

Sharing in God’s loving compassion for all

Peace on Earth at 60: Prayers for Sudan, Uyghur Families, Nicaragua, and the Congo (June 29, 2023)

As the world marks the 60th anniversary of Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) by Pope John XXIII, the first papal encyclical intended for a universal, interfaith, and nonbelieving audience, we pause to pray for the intentions of this letter and world causes that still demand our attention: Every human being has the right to […]

For the Faithful Persecuted: A Pentecost Prayer for Christians in Six Countries (May 25, 2023)

“The happy day has dawned for us on which Holy Church makes her first radiant appearance to the eyes of faith and sets the hearts of believers on fire. It is the day on which we celebrate the sending of the Holy Spirit by our Lord Jesus Christ, after he had risen from the dead […]

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 […]

Strong, Determined, Courageous Women: A Prayer Honoring Six Women Changing Their Countries (March 9, 2023)

As we slow down, breathing in the wonders that are all around us, we give you thanks, Mother of all creation. Amongst the rubble of so much loss we see the joy that bubbles forth. We pray that you will lead us to uncover the truth even when it’s painful for us to see. Guide […]

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: […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Sing a New Church Into Being: A Prayer for Human Dignity, Melting Permafrost, and Water (January 13, 2022)

As the scheduled writer for this week, I, like so many others, am finding life in its beauty and complexity challenging, dispiriting, frustrating, with more questions than answers and often don’t want to hear what I think God is trying to say to me as the way forward: more of the same old, same old…? […]