As we raise our prayers to you, Lord, we come seeking courage, commitment, and above all hope, in a world that sometimes seems hopeless.
As the world’s attention continues to be focused on the suffering of the people of Gaza, we add our voices to those urgently praying for peace in the area. We remember, too, those in other regions where there is conflict and war – among them Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
We prayerfully remember those who live in places that don’t occupy our news headlines, but who are living through unrest, violence, injustice, hunger and poverty.
We pray for those who are clearing up after Storm Floris this week, and we remember those affected by climate change. We pray for our natural world, God’s precious creation.
In the face of so many apparently hopeless situations, confronted by so much suffering and uncertainty, we pray for ourselves; that we might be reinvigorated in faith, and trust anew in the power of our prayers.
We pray for the young people of the world, asking God to give them wisdom, imagination, resourcefulness and courage to be the generation that makes the change that is so badly needed in the world. We ask for discernment as to how we can support them in this.
Hear our voices, Lord, and guide our thoughts, words and deeds, to do your work in the world, to the ends of the earth. Amen.