Prayers for our time

 

A small collection of Nick Fawcett's prayers, including material from his forthcoming book God of Here, There and Everywhere: 100 Prayers for Personal Devotion Inspired by the Celtic Tradition.

Faith in God’s help and support  

In our fear, Lord,
be our confidence.
In our weakness
be our strength.
In our panic
be our calm.
In our sickness
be our healing.
In our confusion
be our anchor.
In our insecurity
be our rock.
In our darkness
be our light.
In our grief
be our solace.
In our despair
be our hope.
In our storm
be our sunshine.
In our night
be our day.
Amen.
 

For those who face threats to their health as an ever-present reality

This crisis has brought us up short, Lord
overturning our way of life,
shattering our security
leaving us feeling
vulnerable, scared, alone –
fearful for our welfare
fearful of the future.
Help us to remember that for many in our world,
this is not the exception but the norm
thousands having grown used to living with the constant threat of disease –
Malaria
Ebola
Zika virus
Cholera
Dengue fever
to name but some.
Help us, through what we are wrestling with now
to understand and empathise with what too many wrestle with repeatedly
to realise how fortunate we have been
and to resolve to help build a fairer more caring world for all.
Amen.
 

Trust in God’s transforming love

In our darkness, Lord,
be our light.
In our despondency
be our hope.
In our dread
be our assurance.
In our isolation
be our companion.
In our need
be our provider.
In our confusion
be our lodestar.
In our brokenness
be our healing.
In our sorrow
be our joy.
Reach out to us, Lord, in this time of need
and be our all.
Amen.

Lord of all

Lord of all
the delight of those who glimpse you
the joy of those who love you
the peace of those who serve you
the contentment of those who serve you
the strength of those who seek you
the guide of those who hear you
the hope of those who trust you
the light of those who know you
the treasure of those who follow you.
Draw closer to me
that I may draw closer to you.
Amen.
 

Seeking God’s peace

Breathe your peace within me, Lord
peace such as only you can give.
When I fret about tomorrow,
when I worry about my loved ones
when I question whether I can cope
when my stomach feels knotted and panic rises within me
help me to hear your still small voice
rebuking the wind and waves
stilling the storm
calming the roiling waves
and in place of turmoil bring tranquillity
in place of chaos, quietness
in place of a troubled, anxious spirit
rest for my soul.
Amen.
 

For victims of Covid-19 and for signs of hope

A prayer the countless victims of Coronavirus – in some sense, essentially all of us – and for the possibility that an end to the pandemic and its associated crisis may perhaps be in sight in the months ahead.

God of mercy
hear our prayer for all those whose lives
during this past year
have been overturned by Covid-19;
those who have suffered and those who still struggle with the after-effects of the illness;
those who have lost loved ones as a result;

those in our hospitals and health centres
exhausted by the demands made upon them;
those in our nursing and residential homes
who have been so vulnerable
yet who have felt so isolated;

those who have developed vaccines and treatments
or who continue to work upon them
and those whose job it is to organise and roll out the vaccination programme;
those in governments and positions in leadership
seeking to take right decisions for the present and the future;

those whose livelihoods have been undermined
even destroyed
by the economic impact of lockdowns and the like;
those facing years of unemployment
and an uncertain future
as a result of the pandemic’s impact.

Our country
our society
our world
is broken –
hurting
but hoping;
fearful of the future
yet praying for a miracle.

Hear our prayer
and, in your love
pick us up
and put us together again.
Amen.


Click here to download a pdf version of these prayers

This article was originally published in the Summer 2021 edition of Baptists Together magazine.

---

Baptist minister Nick Fawcett is a devotional and reflective writer. He has posted regular prayers on his website relating to the Coronavirus pandemic, and in 2020 published a free ebook For such a time as this - Prayers in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Access his writing here: nickfawcett.uk