Prayer about the police abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh and others

https://world.wng.org/2020/03/abduction

Heavenly Father, we pray for the family of Pastor Raymond Koh, who is still grieving his loss and looking for answers, three years after he was purportedly abducted by The Special Branch of the Royal Malaysia Police. Lord, in a country that is known to supposedly offer religious freedom, people are naturally disturbed that not only Pastor Koh, but also Amri Che Mat; Pastor Joshua Hilmy and Ruth Sitepu, were abducted in a similar way around the same time – using the same vehicles and the same tactics. Our desire is that these kidnapped people be returned to their families. If they are still alive, may someone free them, or may they find a way to either escape or to make their whereabouts known. If they have passed from this earth, may this truth be soon revealed so loved ones can have closure. And, Lord, we ask for justice! May those who harmed these four activists and religious leaders make an account for their deeds, receive just punishment, and ultimately repent. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.  

Prayer about New Light of God cult and Ngabé Buglé indigenous community of Panama

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/16/panama-burial-pit-children-exorcisms-religious-sect
PC: TVN Noticias/AFP via Getty Images

Lord God, it has been months since we have heard updates on “The New Light of God” cult operating in the jungles of Panama. Yet they still need our prayers. We pray for those who were tortured or whose loved ones were killed as part of this cult’s brutal practices. Please continue to bring healing to them. May they sleep peacefully, learn to trust again, and begin to understand you as the loving God you are. We pray that this cult will not be lumped in with Christianity in this nation, as none of the cult’s horrors reflect how you tell us to live. Heavenly Father, we pray more broadly for this remote Ngabé Buglé indigenous community. With 96 percent of its 214,000 residents living in extreme poverty, with few schools, clinics, and roads, and with little local law enforcement, this is an extremely vulnerable area. We pray for good to come from this tragedy: that Panama as a nation will now turn its eyes to this region to bring healing, resources, education, hope, literacy, medicine, peace. In Jesus’ loving name we pray, amen.

Prayer about shooting rampage through Nova Scotia

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/americas/nova-scotia-shooting-monday/index.html
Photo: Tim Krochak/The Canadian Press via AP

Heavenly Father, we grieve with Canada as the nation processes and recovers from Gabriel Wortman’s shooting rampage through Nova Scotia. With at least 19 known to be dead, others injured and missing, and great damage to property, the nation grieves deeply. Please bring comfort, Lord, to people who are already under the stress of Covid-19 and isolation. Please grant supernatural strength to the victims' loved ones. Lord, we specifically pray about the fact that Wortman impersonated a law enforcement officer. We pray about the damage this caused, the fears it may raise for people in the future, the offense done to those who risk their lives to do good in those same uniforms. Lord, bring healing in those areas. We also pray for investigators as they attempt to unravel and understand the 16 different crime scenes Wortman left behind. We pray for motives to come to light. We pray for Wortman’s loved ones, saddled with this ugly legacy. Finally, Lord, we pray for the nation as they mourn together through a virtual vigil Friday. May that time bring peace and the beginning of closure. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Prayer about persecution concerns and a martyrdom in Turkey

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/march/turkey-kim-jin-wook-stabbing-andrew-brunson-visa-denials.html

Heavenly Father, we pray for Turkey, where concern is growing about religious freedom. We are incredibly thankful that American missionary Andrew Brunson was freed from his unjust imprisonment in 2018, but we are concerned about the sharp increase in deportations and visa denials for Christian workers. We also grieve the suspicious deaths of other Christian workers around the nation in recent years. Lord, we pray for answers to the questions surrounding these deaths, particularly around the murder of evangelist Kim Jin-Wook. We pray for the teen who stabbed him to death to respond to the Gospel, as Kim’s widow entreated. We pray for the Church within Turkey to carry on Kim’s legacy of sharing the Gospel in daily life, and we pray for courage as the concerns about persecution percolate. Make your glory and love known all over Turkey. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Prayer for revelation of truth and for peace amid purported human rights violations in Nigeria

https://www.africanews.com/2020/04/17/18-dead-in-enforcement-of-nigeria-covid-19-lockdown-report/  PC: AFP

Heavenly Father, we pray for the revelation of truth and for peace in Nigeria, where a human rights report appears to have uncovered some abuses. Lord, we are disturbed by the National Human Rights Commission report claiming security operatives killed 18 civilians during enforcement of a total lockdown in major cities over COVID-19. We are also dismayed by the 33 reported incidents of torture, inhumane and degrading treatment; 27 incidents of violation of the right to freedom of movement, unlawful arrest, and detention; 19 incidents of confiscation of properties; and 13 incidents of extortion. We ask for truth to come to light. We pray against human rights violations in Nigeria. We pray that civilians and law enforcement will get along and work together in the battle against COVID-19. We also pray for justice for those who have been wronged. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer to minimize COVID-19's impact on Brazil's indigenous communities

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/13/americas/brazil-indigenous-coronavirus-intl/index.html

Lord God, we are concerned for Brazil’s indigenous groups, yet we know you are even more concerned for them. After all, you know the number of hairs on each person’s head (Luke 12:7). We lay our worries before you: their more vulnerable immune systems due to their historic isolation, their lack of sanitation facilities and healthcare, the distance to the type of healthcare required to treat COVID-19, their communal lifestyle, the nearest hospitals already being maxed-out, the tens of thousands of illegal miners who traverse through their territory regularly, and more. Lord, we present these concerns to you, asking for your intervention. Please work among the indigenous groups of northern Brazil and southern Venezuela in whatever ways are most helpful in these special circumstances. We pray for successful helicopter transport for those who need emergency medical care, and we pray for the efficient construction of the field hospital in Manaus that is intended for the many nearby indigenous communities. We ask for your help in Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer about mysterious illness afflicting nomads in Ethiopia

https://www.breitbart.com/africa/2020/03/19/ethiopian-nomads-bleeding-to-death-after-arrival-of-chinese-oil-and-gas-firm/  PC: JOEL ROBINE/AFP via Getty

Heavenly Father, we pray for answers regarding the mysterious, highly unpleasant illness killing nomads in Ethiopia. With more than 2,000 nomadic people dying of the terrible disease since 2014, locals and researchers alike are frustrated by the seemingly senseless deaths. We pray investigators will have keen insight and determine the cause. May the medical community find effective treatments. Lord, if this illness is linked to Chinese firm Poly-GCL’s prospecting for natural oil and gas, which aligns exactly with the onset of the illness, please reveal that. If it is unrelated, we also ask you to reveal that, so the tension can be removed. May the issues surrounding Poly-GCL’s gas exploration be resolved. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

  

Prayer for Europe's Roma communities, which are at greater risk for contracting and spreading COVID-19

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/coronavirus-pandemic-deepens-despair-and-danger-for-europe-s-roma-1.4221540  PC: Mission Without Borders

Lord, we are concerned for the 10-12 million Roma who live in central and Eastern Europe. With their higher level of poverty, more crowded conditions, lack of access to sanitation and healthcare services, and more frequent travel, they are at greater risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. Topping off this higher risk, their livelihood has also been stymied by the quarantine requirements, and they are facing more prejudice than usual. Heavenly Father, we ask for your intervention. We pray that those governments that are sealing off Roma communities as higher risk will also provide assistance. We pray for temporary sanitation stations, distribution of helpful information, and access to healthcare. We pray churches will see Romani needs and seek to meet them, bringing hope and help into these communities however is best. Lord, please do a great work among the Roma during this particularly perilous time. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Prayer amid global coronavirus pandemic

Image: NIAID-RML

Lord God, we hear you. We recognize that we are utterly helpless before you. A virus transmitted from your creatures in one small corner of this wide world has brought that same world to its knees. We need your divine intervention. Lord, we pray for the researchers around the world who are exploring solutions to this problem. Bless and protect them. Direct them to answers. We pray for our leaders. Keep them humble, focused and wise. May they lead us in the directions you would have us go. We pray for our healthcare workers, that you would grant them strength, clarity and fortification. We pray for those living in fear, that you would bring hope and peace. And, Lord, we pray for the sick. We desire healing for more of them, and the chance to say good-bye for those who do pass from this earth. On this day, Lord, we also repent. We repent of putting earthly things before you and of not living for you. We repent on behalf of ourselves, our families, our churches and our lands. We declare a desire to learn all that you have for us amid this global trial. And we worship you. Amen.