Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual
and the community must enter every day.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
and the community must enter every day.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
Before You Ask
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8)
Many people think their prayers won’t work if they don’t utter them clearly enough, or fail to explain to God exactly what they mean, or don’t speak loudly enough to him with sufficient earnestness. But when this happens, prayer becomes so exaggerated that our Savior even forbids it.
Obviously Jesus does not want to discourage us from praying. His point is that when we pray we must have a sense of proportion. Once we have prayed, we must be quiet. We need to be like the farmer who has sown his seed. Help will come only when you are quiet in faith. Also in your sickness or with other needs, learn to be still and look to the Kingdom of God.
We can share our needs with the Father in a few words, without making a fuss, and rest assured that God already knows what we need and what he will do to help us. We don’t have to explain our requests in great detail to God, or try and make quite sure that he knows our needs. God knows about even the smallest matters and takes them straight into his heart. We can turn to him by glancing Heavenward, with no words at all. We can do this even when we pray about something concrete and tangible, or about something that specifically troubles us. We may realize that what we thought we needed is actually not necessary and that we can find a way right in the midst of how things are now.
This doesn’t mean that we just let things happen – as if everything will come of its own accord without our longing for it. Nor should we just cast a brief and hurried request at God’s feet. When this happens, we too easily lose sight of God, assume that everything comes to us without his help, and we forget to thank him. Then we cease to have a believing heart and are consequently not true children of God.
Jesus said, “Before you ask him.” Therefore we do need to make our requests known to him, otherwise many things will not be given that could have been given. It never displeases God when we come to him with our heartfelt requests. A real child asks for everything, knowing God has an ear for him. We should bring all our burdens and needs to him, for at the very least this helps to make us ever more aware that in all things God is the giver.
God always has our interest in mind. He carries our various needs with fatherly concern, eagerly waiting for us to come to him. He has not forgotten us. And when we feel tempted to think so, then all the more we should remember that he knows it all and cares for us. In fact, he knows much more about us and our needs than we do. Simple, childlike prayer is enough to move his heart, give you something out of the fullness of his compassion, and save you from all sorts of fear and trouble.
(Johann Christoph Blumhardt)
(The God Who Heals, Words of Hope for a Time of Sickness)
Request a prayer and pray for others
To request a prayer, click on the blue button below that reads, Share Your Prayer Request.
To pray for others, look below the form to see what prayers have been requested.
You may add your prayer request to this prayer wall using the form below. Once your prayer request is received, I will share it according to your instructions. Feel free to submit as many prayer requests as you like!
Julia
Pray for an end to human trafficking
Pray for action
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the issue of human trafficking, but we can take action. We can speak out and insist that our elected officials support effective legislation, such as the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and we can support World Vision and other programs to end trafficking and care for survivors.
Dear Lord, just as You helped Moses and Aaron as they spoke boldly to Pharaoh on behalf of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, help us speak up for modern-day slaves around the world.
Pray for prevention
Extreme poverty is at the root of the vast majority of trafficking around the world. Poor families are vulnerable to the tactics of traffickers, who lure their victims with the promise of well-paying jobs in other cities or countries. Once isolated from their families, victims are forced to work for little or no pay and brutalized if they try to resist. One of the best ways to prevent human trafficking is to help families become self-sufficient.
Dear Lord, most of us reading this email will never experience the kind of extreme poverty that millions of people live with every day. Help us to be understanding and compassionate toward their needs. Help us to love them in the way that You love them. Give us the will to make things better.
Pray for protection
Children who are rescued from traffickers need a safe place to recover from abuse. It’s common for their former captors to try to recover what they regard as their “property.” World Vision provides survivors with emergency shelter, legal assistance, and counseling.
Dear Lord, You are a strong tower and a mighty fortress. Help Your rescued children feel safe and begin to heal. Protect them from those who seek to harm them.
Pray for restoration
Survivors of human trafficking often suffer severe psychological damage. Their hearts and spirits have been assaulted as much as their bodies. They are ashamed of what has happened to them. World Vision homes provide a safe environment where children can recover and share happier times with other youngsters. They also receive vocational training so that they have the chance to become financially secure and make a fresh start.
Dear Lord, Your Word shows that You bring new joy and hope where previously there was only shame and fear. We ask this for our brothers and sisters, who desperately need to accept that they can be made new.
Pray for justice
The men and women who prey on the poor and the innocent need to be arrested, prosecuted, and punished for their crimes. The International Justice Mission has found that even a small number of convictions can have a major impact in reducing trafficking crime. But prosecuting traffickers can be difficult because survivors are terrified to testify against them.
Dear Lord, You demand justice for those who have been wronged. Give strength to those who investigate and prosecute traffickers. Encourage them when they are weary. Give courage to survivors when they are asked to testify against their former captors.
Received: June 18, 2018
Julia
A Prayer for Poland which is attempting to leave the European Union
Prayer for Poland
Saint Faustina gave directions to all of the sisters and wards of her convent to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet for nine days in order to entreat God’s mercy for Poland.
How To Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Optional Opening Prayers:
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty yourself out upon us.
(Repeat 3 times) O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us, I trust in you!
Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Apostle's Creed
For each of the five decades (On each “Our Father” bead of the rosary, pray)
Eternal Father, I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
(On each of the 10 “Hail Mary” beads, pray)
For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Concluding prayer (Repeat 3 times)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Optional Closing Prayer
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to your holy will, which is love and mercy itself.
Received: June 18, 2018
Julia
Prayer for Twelve O’clock
O thou who, at the sixth hour, did on the sixth day of the week, did nail the sins of the world with thine own body to the tree, blot out the handwriting of offenses that is against us and take it out of the way. And save us, good Lord.
(John Keble)
Received: June 18, 2018
Julia
We thank God for the peace and evidence of growth in the church today.
(The Anglican Catholic Diocese of the Republic of Kenya)
Received: June 15, 2018
Julia
A Prayer for Christians to Unite in Heart and Voice
Dear Father God, I pray that you help every member of the church to live in harmony with each other. May we be united in love and enable us to pray with the mind of Christ, to be guided by the Spirit of God, and to glorify you with heart and voice. Keep us from worldly ways, but rather may our lives be a witness of your love, not only in what we say but in all that we do, I ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.
(Knowing Jesus)
Received: June 15, 2018
Julia
Prayers for the persecuted church
We pray that all persecuted believers would know the hope God gives, (Ephesians 1:18).
We pray the Holy Spirit would strengthen them, (Ephesians 3:16).
We pray that persecuted believers would know how much God loves them, (Ephesians 3:17)
We pray that they would know how to share the gospel, (Ephesians 6:19).
We pray that persecuted believers would fearlessly tell others about Jesus, (Ephesians 6:20).
Amen.
(Cru)
Received: June 15, 2018
Julia
Prayer to Rekindle Our Love
Lord Jesus Christ, we confess:
that we have sinned against you, by sinning against our brothers and sisters,
that we have not always endeavored to maintain the bond of unity,
that we have not always been ready to pray together,
that we have not always been ready to forgive and to ask forgiveness,
that we have not always believed that unity is even possible,
that we can do more, we can love more and we can believe more.
Forgive our sins, O Lord, rekindle our love and renew a right spirit within us.
God our Father, pour out the gifts of Your Holy Spirit on the world. You sent the Spirit son your church to begin the teaching of the Gospel, now let the Spirit continue to work in the world, through the hearts of all who believe. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Cathedral of Saint Matthew)
Received: June 15, 2018
Julia
A Prayer for the Feast Day of Evelyn Underhill
O God, Origin, Sustainer, and End of all creatures: Grant that thy church, taught by thy servant Evelyn Underhill, guarded evermore by thy power, and guided by thy Spirit into the light of truth, may continually offer to thee all glory and thanksgiving, and attain with thy saints to the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast promised us by our Savior Jesus Christ; who with thee and the same Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Received: June 15, 2018
Julia
Concerning the conflict in Syria, please pray for:
1. The hundreds of thousands who have needlessly lost lives since the Syrian conflict began. We pray for the souls departed, for those left grieving and broken-hearted, for the families torn apart.
2. Seven years of lost education. Some children have missed the entirety of their primary or secondary school years; others struggle to adjust to the educational curriculum of another country – which may be in a different mother tongue to their own. We pray for boys and girls whose childhood has been stolen: bring your restoration, bring your healing, bring renewed hope for a future.
3. The invisible scars. The trauma that so many victims of this war have witnessed or experienced could take a lifetime to heal. God of compassion and mercy, God of comfort, who knows discerns all of our thoughts from afar: immerse every one of them in your love and lead them through this darkness into your arms, and light.
4. A safe place to call home. A quarter of Syria's pre-war population – some five and a half million people – have fled the country. Inside Syria more than 6 million people are said to be displaced, though the numbers fluctuate daily. Many of the refugees whom our partners serve in Lebanon have moved residence on more than one occasion and the outlook remains uncertain. Frequently, families are forced to live in cold, cramped, dirty and unsafe conditions. We pray Lord that you grant rest to the weary, for we know that “in peace [we] lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make [us] dwell in safety. (Psalm.4:8)
5. The weak, the elderly, the infirm. Every Syrian displaced has suffered because of this conflict; every individual has a story to share. But some are especially vulnerable – those who have a disability – physical or intellectual/sensory – those with a chronic illness (cancer, diabetes, hypertension), for which they cannot access the necessary medical care, the elderly and the very young. We pray for these, especially vulnerable, that they do not risk further marginalization and isolation, that their individual needs are cared for, even in the midst of conflict.
6. Our Christian partners in Lebanon and Syria, as they seek to serve those in need. We thank you for the historic Christian communities of the Middle East, who continue to serve as salt and light in these troubled lands. We thank you for Embrace’s local partners, for their faithfulness and tenacity of spirit, for the love, compassion and witness they demonstrate as they serve, without attention to religion or creed. We ask that you will continue to bless, encourage and strengthen them, as they as they seek to be instruments of your peace – healers, comforters, teachers and friends.
7. For a negotiated and lasting peace, for an end to the violence and suffering. We pray for wisdom, compassion and mercy amongst all those who are in authority – from you, O Lord. We commit to you in particular the upcoming donor conference to be convened in April in Brussels. We pray for a renewed commitment amongst international donors to support the UN-led process for a negotiated political solution. We pray for sufficient mobilization of the financial, political, and humanitarian resources that are needed to ensure that aid reaches the Syrian people and their hosting communities in Syria and its neighboring countries.
Amen.
(Embrace the Middle East)
Received: June 14, 2018
Julia
Haiti needs Godly leaders who will prioritize the good of the nation and address its massive problems. Two centuries of misrule, tyranny, and recent flawed democratic attempts have brought hopelessness and despair. Corruption is rampant, and robberies and kidnappings commonplace. The economic plight of most Haitians deepens each year, exacerbated by the events of 2010. Many seek to escape, some physically by fleeing the country in unsafe and leaky boats, others emotionally through taking drugs. Pray that men and women may be raised up who will reverse these trends and establish justice, righteousness and long-term stability. Amen.
(Operation World)