World in Prayer

Sharing in God’s loving compassion for all

Martha, Martha: A Prayer for the Detained, the Trafficked, and the Distracted (February 2, 2017)

N.B. There has been an email glitch (hopefully resolved) and a lack of clarity in the 4th from last paragraph which has now been amended. In expectation of normal service being resumed next week… Jesus Visits Martha and Mary – Luke 10: 38 – 42, NRSV Now as they went on their way, he entered […]

Father, Forgive Them: A Prayer After the First Week of a New US Administration (January 26, 2017)

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” – Jesus, spoken as he was being crucified (Luke 23:34) For almost 17 years, World In Prayer has been posting prayers based on international news, trying to say and show that every human being, in every country, is beloved by God. Trying to find the […]

Extremists for Love: Prayers on Martin Luther King Day for Refugees, Nigeria, and Flight MH370 (January 19, 2017)

At first I was rather disappointed that fellow clergymen would see my nonviolent efforts as those of the extremist.  … But as I continue to think about the matter I gradually gained a bit of satisfaction from being considered an extremist.  Was not Jesus an extremist in love – “Love your enemies, bless them that […]

Thou Lightest My Candle: Prayers After the Istanbul Nightclub Attack and for Karen Refugees (January 5, 2017)

Psalm 18:28 – Thou lightest my candle. The Lord my God enlightens the darkness. Dear Creator and Comforter, Oh, how we need your light and sustenance. We are reminded of the Holy Family that took flight 2000 years ago, and of the many exiles and refugees of today; we are reminded of the lowly and […]

Nothing Can Separate Us: Prayers Before the US Election, for Calais and Italy’s Earthquake (December 28, 2016)

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”  Romans 8:38-39, NLT Recognizing the effects of fear and anxiety in our lives, we […]

Pray Without Ceasing: Prayers for Aleppo, the Dalit Marches in India, and Calais (December 28, 2016)

Pray without ceasing…Becoming more infused with the nature and Spirit of God as we pray… Taking on the attributes of God as we become one with him beyond our earthly limits of time and space… Lord as Jacob (Israel) struggled and demanded a blessing from his opponent at Peniel, may we persist and demand your gifts […]

Bad Deeds Have Consequences: Prayers After the Aleppo Aid Convoy Strike and Police Shootings (September 22, 2016)

“The Bible says little about the temperature of hell nor the furniture of heaven”. This quote from the great German theologian Reinhold Niebuhr fits in with the story of the rich man and Lazarus where we are made aware of the dangers of being mean with our money and uncharitable to others. This is echoed […]

Lord, Have Mercy: A Prayer After Dallas, Baton Rouge, Istanbul, and Baghdad (July 7, 2016)

This has been one of those weeks, God…one of those weeks in which too many things have been happening- in my own life and in the lives of the rest of your children throughout the world. Here in the United States, we are reeling with not one, but two shootings of black men by police […]

Lord, Have Mercy: Prayers for Libya, Syria, Nauru’s Detained Refugees, and the Legacy of Jo Cox (June 23, 2016)

Violent protests, burning and looting in Pretoria, South Africa, over mayoral election… Foreign supporters of ISIS have taken over Sirte, Libya, murdering, torturing, crucifying Muslims and Christians… Russian fighters are dropping cluster bombs in Syria, indiscriminately endangering and killing civilians and children as well as fighters… Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Violence and hatred […]