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My sister-in-law wrote this Litany for her church’s worship service recently. We also used it at my church last Sunday. Sometimes it seems like there’s nothing to be done when it comes to all the injustice and oppression in the world. It is all too much, and I feel like there is nothing I can do. So I do nothing. This is obviously not true. I can give money to organizations working for good; I can volunteer my time to worthy causes; I can sign petitions; I can write my political leaders; I can challenge my local church to be a part of similar things; I can show grace and kindness and mercy to the people in my everyday life, and in this case, I can pray. I’ve been praying this litany each day as one small way to make a big difference in the world. It is my hope that my prayers will not only be heard, but that they will also be daily reminders that spur me to action. Dear friend, may it be the same for you.
We lift our eyes up to the mountains; where does our help come from?
Our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
We pray now for our world, in all its beauty and conflict:
Your kingdom come; Your will be done.
For those in Gaza, Israel, and Palestine…
Lord, have mercy.
For those in Ukraine and the surrounding areas…
Lord, have mercy.
For those in Iraq and Syria…
Lord, have mercy.
For all our sisters and brothers in Christ who are being oppressed and persecuted…
Lord, have mercy.
For those afflicted by Ebola in Africa…
Lord, have mercy.
For children who are victims of violence and political unrest…
Lord, have mercy.
For all those in pain, hungry, and destitute, both abroad and at home…
Lord, have mercy.
May we, Your people, carry Your Presence, Peace, and Love into a broken world. We look to Jesus Christ as our Light, and to His cross and empty tomb as our Hope; and together we pray:
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.