Bible-based prayers for “Church and world”, to read or listen to.
For our pastors
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
Lord of the church, we thank you for the pastors and leaders who care for your people. Give them a willing heart, humble and full of love. May they serve with joy and not out of obligation, and lead by example more than by authority. Keep them from weariness, pride and discouragement. Bless their families, who also carry a load. And teach us to pray for them, to help them and to receive your word with an open heart. May your church be a place of truth and grace. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Holy Father, your Word urges us to have no divisions among us, but to be united in the same mind. Today I pray for that unity. Forgive our divisions, our pride and how easily we judge other brothers and sisters. Give us humility to listen and love to work together. May what unites us in Christ weigh more than what separates us. Begin with me: with the way I speak about other believers and my willingness to serve alongside them. May the world see your love in us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
Sovereign Lord, I bring before you my country and all those who govern it, at every level and of every opinion. Give them wisdom, honesty and a sincere desire to serve the common good. May they protect the weak, act justly and seek peace. Keep them from corruption and the abuse of power. And help us, the citizens, to live with respect, to talk with one another without hatred and to care for each other. Grant our land peace, so that we may live with dignity and faith. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
God of peace, your word announces a day when swords will be turned into tools for work and no one will train for war anymore. Until that day comes, I pray for the peoples who are suffering violence today. Protect the children, the elderly and the families who are fleeing. Comfort those who have lost their loved ones. Give wisdom to those who can stop the conflicts and courage to choose dialogue. Remove hatred from our hearts, and make me someone who sows peace where I live. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
Father of all believers, today I remember our brothers and sisters who suffer for following Jesus: those in prison, those who have lost their homes or their jobs and those who meet in secret. You know their names and you are with them. Give them strength to stand firm and peace in the midst of fear. Take care of their families and supply what they lack. Soften the hearts of those who persecute them. And help me not to forget them, to pray for them as if their pain were my own, because we are one body. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Creator of all things, thank you for the beauty of the earth: the rivers, the forests, the animals and the sky above us. From the beginning you entrusted us with the care of your work. Forgive us when we have treated it without respect, as if it were only ours. Teach us to use its resources with gratitude and responsibility, thinking of the poor and of those who will come after us. Help me care for it in small ways: what I buy, what I throw away, what I use up. May all creation praise you. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
