A Prayer for the World
Lord, we pray for the world,
for the world in which we live.
We pray for the girl who says:
I don't want to live anymore
and for the boy who confesses:
I sometimes want to end it all.
We pray for the new-born baby
with an uncertain future.
Lord, we pray for the world,
for the world in which we live.
Lord, we pray for all the people,
all the people in this world
who feel scared or upset;
who are ill or lonely.
We pray for people around the world
who have no freedom or no family.
Lord, we pray for all the people
all the people in this world.
Lord, we pray for the world,
for the world in which we live.
We pray that the world will not collapse
under the weight of violence and hate
and that our eyes will remain open
to beauty and goodness,
so that we may also pray:
Lord, we thank you for this world,
the world in which we live.
Amen.
(from the Dutch Dienstboek Schrift Maaltijd en Gebed, p. 793 no 65)