Today in our prayers for the people of The Bahamas.

Prayer for Peace

Charmaine Chvala-Smith

Gracious and loving God, as we gather to worship you today, we remember your desire to bless all your creation. So, we pray for the power of your peace to be freed in the world. Remembering that you came to us as a defenseless baby, keeps us centered in the kind of peace you bring.

In our prayer for peace today we seek your clarity and your courage; clarity to recognize injustice against the most helpless in our society, and courage to act on their behalf. Help us to challenge, the systems within our influence that value the wealth of some over the health and safety of the most vulnerable.

God, you showed us your love. In Christ’s life, ministry, and death, we begin to take in the depths of your compassion, and we know that you comprehend the pain and hope each one here feels.

We pray for those nearby and far away whose home is the street and whose constant companions are need and fear. We pray for those whose innocence has been compromised by greed or neglect. We pray for those whose conscience has been crippled by racism, hate, or affluence; for those whose eyes have been blinded and hearts hardened by excess, by harm, or by ego.

We ask your spirit’s nearness when we fail or stumble in our attempts to uphold each one as a child of yours. We need your presence so that we will not be discouraged in our efforts or lose sight of how your love connects us.

We believe your kingdom is a place where each person can know their worth, to you and to the world. Guide us individually and as a body as we endeavor to create a space for your kingdom in our midst.

We offer this prayer to you, that Christ’s way might more fully become our way.

Amen.