All-seeing Father,

Before a word is on our tongue you know it completely, where 2 or more are gathered you are in their midst, you welcome us to come before you as we are, empty-handed, spread thin, having nothing together, to find an audience with you. Thank you that in you we can find grace and mercy in our time of need. 

We are in need.

God, we pray for the brokenness in the world, for what seems like the unchecked spread of evil. It can be hard to see you at work in our world, and yet we know that you sustain all things and nothing takes place outside your view. We pray for unrest and every place that does not know your shalom, for the situation in Ukraine, the aftermath of coups in Burkina Faso and Myanmar, the genocide in Xinjiang, and Taliban rule in Afghanistan. God, the hearts of kings are in your hands; please stay the tide of evil across your creation and frustrate the plans of the wicked. Raise up in all corners of the world those who love justice and righteousness. We pray for the persecuted church, that you would help them persevere amidst mounting restrictions, hostility, and abuse.

God we also pray for the brokenness in our country: where there is division and tribalism bring understanding and a spirit of unity; where there is loneliness bring community and companionship, where there is fatigue bring relief, where there is othering and neglect of those on the margins raise up allies and advocates who will tirelessly stand for the cause of the most vulnerable, where there are those who hold to a form of godliness but deny its power bring your Spirit, where there is rising secularism and pursuit of false gods that run counter to your kingdom bring repentance and turning to you for life. Let us, your people, not sit idly by, but let us be a light in the darkness. May those who claim your name in this country reflect your glory rather than obscure it. 

God, we pray for the brokenness in our city. Car-jackings are becoming a daily occurrence, there’s a rise in gun violence, our neighbors experience homelessness. We lift up to you those whose hearts are moved by scarcity, hate, instability, or pleasure to choose wrong paths. Have mercy on them that they might come to know you, have enough, forgive, and hate evil. We pray for the peace and prosperity of DC and for your church here to make a felt difference in countering its brokenness.

Finally, Father, we lift to you the brokenness in our lives. Broken relationships, the death of dreams, isolation, constant comparison, chronic illness, and suffocating anxiety. We know that with you there is no such thing as unseen pain. Our sighing is not hidden from you and you collect our tears in a bottle. Your invitation to the weary and heavy-laden is always good so we come seeking rest. We seek rest from our striving, insecurities, and disappointments, from the unrelenting toll of the pandemic on our energy and relationships, from burnout and busyness. Fill from your grace that which we seek apart from you. And for those of us who have lost our way without knowing it or simply cannot seem to overcome inertia to return, we seek your rescue. We ask all these things knowing you are able. In Christ we pray. Amen.