For What Shall We Pray?
Prayer prompts:
For peace among nations where war and violence rage, especially Palestine and Israel, Syria, Myanmar, Russia and Ukraine, and Sudan…
For cease-fires and for safe return of hostages…
For nations in political transition, including Italy and Palestine…
For safe and just resolution to protests in Nigeria, South Korea, and across Europe…
For those grieving Laken Hope Riley and for the Augusta University and University of Georgia campus communities…
For all experiencing unseasonable, unstable, and extreme weather across the United States…
For those battling wildfires, especially in Nebraska and Texas…
For safety, compassion, and welcome for refugees, asylum seekers, and all migrants…
For victims of hate crimes, violence, and abuse…
For medical professionals, researchers, and scientists…
Events and observances:
February observances: Black History Month, American Heart Month
March observances: Women’s History Month
George Herbert, hymnwriter, died 1633 (Mar 1)
John Wesley, died 1791; Charles Wesley, died 1788; renewers of the church (Mar 2)
Prayers from ELCA resources:
A set of worship resources for the crisis in the Holy Land is now available on ELCA.org. Several prayers are provided that could be used during the prayers of intercession or at other times, in public worship or for devotional use at home or in other settings. PDF DOC
A prayer for the oppressed (ELW p. 79)
Look with mercy, gracious God, upon people everywhere who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Rouse us from our complacency and help us to eliminate cruelty wherever it is found. Strengthen those who seek equality for all. Grant that everyone may enjoy a fair portion of the abundance of the earth; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A prayer for faith and science (ACS p. 48)
Mysterious God, whose imagination and desire embrace all: We seek to discern you in the interplay of forces, in the order and the chaos of the universe, and in the complexities of every living system. Give us grace to honor your goodness in what we know and in what we do not know, in the world’s harmonies and turbulence, and in its promise and change. For you are in, through, and beyond all that is: one God, made known to us in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, our inspiration and guide. Amen.
“For What Shall We Pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.
Additional topical prayers are found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (pp. 72–87) and All Creation Sings (pp. 46–55), as well as in other resources provided in print and online at sundaysandseasons.com.
Crafted intercessions for every Sunday and festival are provided in the Sundays and Seasons worship planning guide published in-print and online by Augsburg Fortress.
Prayer Ventures, a daily prayer resource, is a guide to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world.