Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Although pain and suffering are an ever-present reality in our world, there are times when there seems to be a sequence of tragic events, the compounding effect of which begins to weigh heavily upon our souls. The past few weeks have been just such a time. A major earthquake ravished the already impoverished nation of Haiti. A terror attacked claimed the lives of thirteen American service members and over ninety Afghan civilians. A major hurricane is bearing down on a region of the Gulf coast still recovering from devastating storms of recent years. And all of this amid a still raging global pandemic that is claiming hundreds of American lives every day.
In times of distress, the church is called to act through service and generosity, but we are most urgently called to pray. As we heard this past Sunday from the Letter to the Ephesians, “Be strong in the Lord […] and pray in the Spirit at all times.” As followers of Jesus, we are called to intercede on behalf of God’s people everywhere. We are called to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). So, with all that is happening in our world, let us renew our commitment to intercede for our brothers and sisters in their time of need. I am providing specific prayers from The Book of Common Prayer, which you may find useful. May God strengthen us and grant us wisdom as we pray for healing in our land.
In Christ,
Doug +
A Prayer for Our Armed Forces
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer in Times of Conflict
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer in Times of Disaster
Compassionate God, we pray for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Draw near to us in this time of sorrow and anguish, comfort those who mourn, strengthen those who are weary, encourage those in despair, and lead us all to fullness of life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
A Prayer for Those in the Path of a Storm
Lord of heaven and earth, of sea and sky, look upon our sisters and brothers in the paths of storms, beset by rising waters and violent winds. In such times, we turn to you. You are our shelter, you are our strength. You are our comfort and protection. Make us these things for our brothers and sisters. Make us shelter, make us strength. Make us comfort and protection. We are your children, your image and likeness. Make us more like you, O God of all goodness. And so, let waters recede, to be replaced by a rising tide of compassion. Let winds dissipate to be replaced by the roar of justice, that all might know your mercy and find safety and hope in the midst of storms. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for Guidance
O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
