Prayer for Burundi as mass graves are discovered

Photo: AFP. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35436560

Lord, we continue to pray for Burundi. Our stomachs churn when we hear of possible mass graves being discovered. What kinds of atrocities may come to light? Lord, you see all. Please bring truth to light. Bring justice to the oppressed and to the widows and orphans in that nation. Vindicate the righteous. We pray for President Nkurunziza to accept peacekeeping troops in order to prevent Burundi from sliding into ethnic conflict. May the president consider the best for his people, rather than for his regime. Lord, this is the second poorest nation in the world. We pray for the Long Miles Coffee Project and similar organizations that are trying to address the poverty and purposelessness so many Burundians face. Yet violence and strife prevent these companies from accomplishing their purpose. Bring healing to this land so the violence may cease and the greater needs be addressed. Help godly Burundians to rise up and set examples in eliminating the hatred and violence, in creating strong businesses, in raising healthy families. In Jesus’ powerful name we pray, amen.

http://www.longmilescoffeeproject.com/

Prayer for Sweden and the refugees there

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/01/28/sweden-to-deport-up-to-80000-refugees.html

Today our thoughts turn toward Sweden, Lord. We are so concerned about the plight of refugees in Europe, but that concern extends to the nations attempting to host (or not host) them. Lord, please give Sweden’s leaders wisdom as they manage receiving the most refugees per capita. Help the leaders and people discern your will in this situation. Give them both resolve and compassion. We pray for the tens of thousands of refugees who will be deported from Sweden in coming years. Give them gratitude for the time they were able to find refuge there, yet comfort as they find themselves without a home or nation yet again. Show them where to go, Lord. And help them to learn and experience that you see and understand our suffering. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.  

Prayer for refugees in Europe

Reuters

Lord, we praise you for knowing all and seeing all. When we think about the refugee crisis in Europe, we can be easily overwhelmed. Yet, amazingly, you know the number of hairs on each refugee’s head. You see the shivering children, angry young men, anxious mothers, desperate fathers—and you love them. Please help them find shelter, necessities, warmth, friendly faces. May they find new places to call home and true friends to accompany them on life’s journey. And may they, most significant of all, learn that their citizenship can be in heaven (if they don’t already know). In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.  

Prayer of thanksgiving for the US Coast Guard

WSVN via Sea Tow Fort Lauderdale

Lord, we are delighted today to learn of two successful rescues conducted by the United States Coast Guard yesterday! All 13 people rescued from the sinking Serena III off the coast of Florida! Three people plucked from a half-sunken catamaran off the coast of Puerto Rico—at night! Lord, thank you for these 16 people who were rescued out of terrifying conditions. Bless those rescuers who braved the dark, choppy waters in order to save them. Thank you for their willingness to devote their time to special training, and their readiness to put their lives on the line every day for those struggling at sea. Please bless the Coast Guard in general—with good leadership, conviction, tenacity, values, efficiency, success and support. With grateful hearts we pray, amen.


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/01/26/coast-guard-rescues-13-from-yacht-minutes-before-it-sinks.html?intcmp=hplnws

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2016/01/25/shipwrecked-french-citizens-rescued-off-puerto-rico-coast/

Prayer for bomb removal in Germany

More information: https://www.facebook.com/thebombhuntersfilm. Photo credit: Bettmann Corbis

Heavenly Father, today we pray for the defusing of bombs in Germany. It’s hard to believe that, 70 years after World War II, over 2,000 tons of unexploded munitions are uncovered in Germany annually. Lord, we thank you for the work of bomb-squad leader Horst Reinhardt, who spent decades defusing bombs before his recent retirement. We pray for all current bomb squad workers, that they will keep calm hands and clear heads. We pray that the dormant munitions will be discovered and deactivated before they deteriorate to the point of explosion. We pray specifically for the city of Oranienburg, which is considered the most dangerous in Germany. Protect the people who live and work above these munitions, Lord. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

Prayer for Nepalis facing winter after the earthquake

AFP/Prakash Mathema

Lord, today we pray for the people of Nepal. Tens of thousands of them died or were injured in April of last year, and they are still rebuilding their communities and lives. Now their first post-earthquake winter has come, and so many people do not have adequate shelter or warmth. Please give them strength. Give them peace and hope. And please send them the supplies they need to fortify their shelters. Provide warm clothing to fight the cold, supplies to provide heat, and more. Please bless the efforts of Catholic Relief Services, Samaritan’s Purse and Save the Children as they step forward to meet these needs. May your children among these relief workers bring special encouragement to those they encounter as they meet practical needs. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Prayer against ISIS efforts in eastern Syria

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/01/17/at-least-300-killed-in-islamic-state-massacre-in-syrian-city-state-media-says.html?intcmp=hplnws

Lord, a new day begins and we learn of more atrocities. We thank you that our citizenship is in heaven, rather than in this broken world. Lord, we are devastated by the hundreds murdered by ISIS in eastern Syria yesterday—mostly women, children and elderly people. We are disgusted by any group that would think this is acceptable. We pray against the evil plots of ISIS, Lord. We ask you to block their efforts at every turn. To frustrate their mission and vision. To open the eyes of individuals within the group to the wickedness of what their leaders ask them to do. Lord, comfort the grieving even as they fear for their own safety. Sustain those who have lived for so long under siege in that part of the country. Give helpers great creativity and courage as they seek to rescue and/or meet the basic needs of those who live in ISIS’ shadow of terror. In Jesus’ powerful name, we pray, amen. 

Prayer about Burundi's crisis

AP/Jerome Delay

Lord, we are thankful you reign. Though nations war, your power is greater. Today we pray for Burundi. We are sickened when a nation is torn apart from the inside, when neighbor fights against neighbor. Lord, may both President Pierre Nkurunziza's supporters and opponents recognize the need for reconciliation. May Burundi’s leaders accept the deployment of an African Union Prevention and Protection Mission so that a plan can be created and implemented to end the violence. May leaders operate with integrity and a desire to look out for the interests of the nation, rather than their own power. And, even now, lay it on people’s hearts (both within and outside of Burundi) to help this nation rebuild and recover at its earliest opportunity. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. 

Prayer for the lost and harmed in the French Alps

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/01/13/french-alps-avalanche-hits-school-group-one-reported-dead.html?intcmp=hplnws

Lord, we grieve with those who lost loved ones to today’s avalanche in the French Alps. Please be with the families of the two students and Ukrainian man who died. Please help the other students recover from their injuries and receive the best medical care possible. Lord, night has fallen, but you still see (Psalm 139:12). We pray for the missing. Help them to draw upon all the resources they have (both inner and tangible) to survive the night. Bless the searchers and rescuers as they seek them again at first light. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.  

Prayer for peace and justice in Cologne

"Mrs. Merkel. Where are you? What do you say? It's scary." AP photo.

Lord, we pray for peace in Germany, specifically Cologne, as thousands of protesters face each other in opposition. We pray for a supernatural calming influence to descend upon the city. Dampen passions, increase understanding, and give those in leadership good judgment. Grant wisdom to Chancellor Angela Merkel as she seeks to lead the nation through this time of uncertainty. Give the national and city leaders wisdom as they discern how to best handle the refugee crisis. Bring truth to light and justice into action for the women who were assaulted on New Year’s Eve. Only you can provide lasting peace in such an inflammatory situation. We ask for this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer for comfort and clean-up in Missouri

Jeff Roberson, AP

Lord, we pray today for those who are still displaced by the flooding in Missouri, USA. So many families and individuals have lost their homes or are overwhelmed by incredible damage. Worst of all, people lost loved ones in this disaster. Please comfort the grieving. Give those living in temporary shelter the fortitude to endure these conditions and to remain grateful in the midst of hardship. Send people to minister to emotional needs, as well as to help with clean-up and repairs. Please empower, bless and fund the work of Samaritan’s Purse as they arrive very soon to help these flood-damaged areas. Help these workers to bring consolation in Jesus’ name as they provide very practical help. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer for efforts to rescue trapped Chinese miners

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/01/04/4-survivors-chinese-mine-cave-in-still-trapped-after-10-days-as-rescuers-slowly.html

Heavenly Father, we continue to pray for the miners trapped in the collapsed mine in Shandong province, China. Thank you that at least four have survived being trapped since Christmas Day. We also thank you again for those who were already rescued, and we do pray for answers regarding the 13 that are still missing. Please help the rescuers drill the remaining 175 meters in time to save these men. Thank you that some responsible for these men’s safety have been held accountable. We do pray for increasing improvements in mine safety in China, grieving about the tens of thousands who have died in mining accidents in the last 10 years. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.