If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94:17-19)
We invite you to join us as we share new prayers each week for the vulnerable among us facing challenges, fears, and threats. We will name many of the harms unfolding around us and acknowledge what is being erased, lost, and threatened.
Please join us in prayer and share these prayers with your dioceses and parishes.
We are one church united in prayer, naming reality in the face of lies, creating space for grief in the face of denial, and freeing space in our souls for hope. We gather to be the body of Christ for one another—bearing one another’s burdens—and pointing the world to the cross and its redemptive power already at work through our witness (even when it may not feel like it).
These prayers are not a replacement for action; they offer grounding and space to discern what actions each of us feel compelled to take. We may feel called to meet with or contact our elected officials, participate in community organizing, provide services to those in our communities, or join in protests or acts of civil disobedience.
As a church, our advocacy continues, and we invite you to join us. The Episcopal Public Policy Network has weekly action alerts, resources, webinars, and trainings. Learn more here.
Prayers for the week of August 1
For Weary Peace Advocates
God of justice, you gave your prophets bold voices and strength when they spoke truth in lands that rejected them. We turn to you with heavy hearts as the news bears constant witness to cruelty, violence, and fear, and your peace advocates are weary. Make your prophets and public witnesses steadfast, not conforming to the ways of this world in complacency, but always shaped by the hope of your kingdom. Renew their strength in the face of insult and injury. Elevate their hearts, rooted in your peace, so that their voices may echo your justice. In the name of Christ. Amen.
For Good Governance and Diplomacy
God of truth and justice, when many in authority turn a blind eye to corruption and unjust rule, turn our hearts to you, the source of righteousness and peace. Grant that those who serve in diplomacy and governance may seek not merely the interest of nations, but the flourishing of all people. Make them instruments of truth, defenders of equity, and faithful stewards of the common good. Guide their words and actions that they may reflect your kingdom values in every place of power; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
For the Dignity and Rights of the Unhoused
Loving God, you sent your Son Jesus Christ into the world in humility, with no place to lay his head, living among the unhoused, and dependent on the welcome of others. His ministry was not marked by palaces, but by poverty. You have shown us that your heart is with those on the margins. We lament the effort to conflate the unhoused with criminals and to forcibly remove them from the streets using involuntary commitment. Help us recognize not only their dignity, but your very presence in their faces and in their stories. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Gift of Medical Research
God of world-changing gifts, you have given us the grace to learn from your creation and to develop knowledge that brings healing and hope. Through the work of medical research, we glimpse your desire for wholeness and life abundant. Amid threatened cuts to this sacred labor, renew our joy in the pursuit of wisdom for the sake of others. Strengthen those who advocate for the just and faithful use of resources and protect those whose lives hang in the balance. All this we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord, the great physician. Amen.
For Victims of Gun Violence
God of peace and compassion, we are heartbroken by the unrelenting toll of gun violence in our land. Receive our lament and carry what we cannot bear in our grief, anger, and confusion. Strengthen us to labor for a world where such violence is no more. You have revealed to us a kingdom where fear and death give way to hope and life everlasting. Shape us into messengers of this good news, that our communities may choose the path to you, the source of all peace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
