Lord, teach us how to pray, and help us to pray now.
We pray for peace in Ukraine, in Sudan, in Syria, in Yemen. It’s hard to keep asking, when from a human point of view there seems little hope for reconciliation or negotiation, but we remember again the ordinary people who are fighting, suffering and dying. Please give us miraculous hope and peace. Guide leaders towards decisions that are not about pride or revenge but guided by humility and love. Thank you for those working for peace in Sudan, and their success in arranging a 24-hour ceasefire yesterday. We pray that it would have been successful and lead to an end to the fighting.
We ask that your mercy will bring change in us.
As unprecedented wildfires burn in Canada we watch with fear for what is next from the climate crisis. We are sorry for the decades we have spent failing to face up to what is happening, and we ask that we can put this failure behind us. Give us courage to take radical action to reduce carbon emissions. Give us compassion for everyone who is suffering now from what is already happening. Prevent us from falling for the temptation to turn away from those in need. We will be next, and our only hope is to work together. We know that we only have hope if you decide to step in.
We ask that your mercy will bring change in us.
We pray for everyone suffering in the huge Dengue fever outbreak in Peru. Please protect people, especially health workers, and help decision-makers get help to where people are needed. We ask for the money, resources and organisation to get people treatment.
We pray for everyone affected by the knife attack in Annecy – please help the victims recover, and help the community respond in ways that reflect your character. We pray for the attacker too – that whatever led him to do such a terrible thing would change.
We ask that your mercy will bring change in us.
We pray for staff and patients of the NHS. The pressure seems to mount all the time, and we only hear stories of things getting worse. We thank you for the excellent treatment so many of us have received, and we ask that things would get better, and there would be even better treatment for everyone who needs it. We especially pray for people living with cancer after recent stories about staff shortages. We ask for more staff, and we also ask for peace for people already coping with overwhelming fear as they hear news like this.
We pray too for our police forces as they come to terms with criminal actions of some police officers, and strong criticism from the inspector of policing. We ask that the systemic failings he identified will be addressed, and the police will provide safety for everyone in our society. We especially pray for people who right now see police more as a threat than a help: let change happen so that trust is built up.
We ask that your mercy will bring change in us.
We pray for our church. We thank you for the wide range of different people we are. We ask that we would get better at stepping out into our community to embrace and learn from more people. Where our differences cause tensions we ask for acceptance and humility. We pray for your help to understand how to get involved: with our church and as a church, in our area. Help us to move on from things that are not right any more, and find new ways. Help us to buckle down when things you are asking us to do are hard, always receptive to where you are leading us, and especially to who you are putting in front of us. If we’re making each other uncomfortable that might be a good sign, but please show us how to work together with compassion.
We ask that your mercy will bring change in us.
We pray for all of us who are unwell and grieving, and our friends and family. Bring peace and comfort. Use us to help each other. Don’t let anyone in our town be isolated by suffering, but bring us together.
We ask that your mercy will bring change in us.