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As Christians, we know that God listens to our prayers for the world. Our hearts and minds can feel overwhelmed by the immense challenges affecting people, all around the world as well as our loved ones.
God, our Heavenly Father, listens to His loved ones. Scripture promises that when we turn to Him, He will respond resulting in powerful prayers of intercession. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”.
Our Father God is sovereign over all. He is good, He is powerful, and He is filled with compassion. So, let’s turn to Him in faith, casting our cares upon Him with persistence and thanksgiving, remembering all the ways He has helped us in the past. Thank you for taking time to bring the needs of others before God. He hears your prayers for the world, and we know He can do more than we ask or imagine.
1. A prayer for the world today
Father God, we pray for our world today.
We pray for peace and hope to abound.
Many are affected by natural disasters: floods, droughts and forest fires.
Many are struggling with conflict, poverty and the global food crisis.
O Lord, we pray for your provision, peace and protection.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
2. A prayer for the Church
We praise you, Almighty God, for your worldwide church.
We lift to you our Compassion church partners who faithfully
serve their communities by coming alongside children, young people and their families.
Thank you for their skills and commitment to sharing your love.
We pray that church families around the world would joyfully live out their faith
with love and graciousness that brings glory to you. Amen.
3. A prayer for people facing difficulty
Loving Lord, we lift to you those who are suffering in body, mind or spirit.
So many people are facing all kinds of trials due to ill health, conflict, poverty and
injustice. As Jesus teaches us in the Lord’s prayer, we ask that your kingdom come,
and your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Please comfort those who are in despair
and help your followers be moved with compassion
to share your love. Amen.
4. A prayer for good health
Father God, please protect those who are vulnerable to illness around the world.
We think especially of children and babies living in poverty
who are especially at risk, and where medical assistance
is often more difficult to access.
Father, we pray for your protection and healing.
We pray for our partner churches who work so hard
to look after their communities. We also lift before you
healthcare workers and medical researchers.
Thank you for their tireless service.
Lord, we praise you for the recent medical advances against many diseases.
We pray resources will be fairly distributed around the world. Amen.
5. prayers for the world in the midst of natural disasters
Lord, we pray for all who are affected by natural disasters
and issues of climate change that are having such a detrimental effect
on people’s livelihoods and putting many lives at risk.
We pray that people living through such difficult times
would find comfort and hope in you. Please provide
the practical aid people need in times of emergency.
Help those amongst us who have plentiful material resources
to be generous in sharing what we have with others,
and to be mindful of how our actions have an impact
on the environment and on creating fair societies. Amen.
6. A prayer about political instability
O God, we pray for countries experiencing the turmoil of conflict
and political instability. We ask for peace to be restored.
Please grant wisdom and integrity to world leaders
so that they will work for the good of the people they govern and serve.
We pray that citizens everywhere would have their rights preserved,
so they can live peacefully, free from fear. Amen.
7. A prayer for refugees and asylum seekers
Father God, we bring before you all those who’ve had to flee their homes
due to persecution and conflict. May they find loving communities
where they can settle well and find healing from trauma.
May they come to experience your peace.
Loving Heavenly Father, we pray that the people they meet
will be kind and compassionate. We lift them to you
and ask for your protection over them. Amen.
8. Prayers for world peace
Lord, we pray for world peace in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray for countries to find diplomatic solutions
that will bring harmony between nations. We pray for wars to end.
We give thanks for your promise that one day there will be no more death
or mourning or crying or pain. Until that day, we pray for your continued grace
and goodness to overflow in this world so that humans can live
alongside one another respectfully, allowing for mutual flourishing. Amen.
9. A prayer for the countries facing crisis
Lord Jesus, we offer a prayer for you to bring peace in all places.
We pray for Compassion projects, for the local churches, their staff and volunteers.
Please help those who are working in communities afflicted by crisis.
Lord, we ask for peace in these nations and throughout the world.
Please protect all those who are vulnerable to the effects of war
and displacement from their homes.
Please give those in authority the patience, humility, wisdom and endurance
to persevere in bringing about positive solutions for their nations. Amen.
10. Prayers for a world that is free from poverty
Loving Heavenly Father, we pray for an end to poverty,
trusting that all things are possible for you.
Please help us examine our own hearts and actions,
so that we would live with integrity towards others and bring about fairer societies.
We see through our church partners, the transformational power
of enabling people opportunities to overcome the barriers of poverty.
Please bless the work of Compassion to be a means for seeing an end to poverty.
We pray all these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Your prayers for the world are heard by our Loving Father in Heaven. If you would like more prayer updates, look on our Prayer page.
“Nothing is impossible for God” Lynet, age 12, Uganda
“I began hearing people in the community saying that dad would die. I kept telling my sisters that we had to pray because God is able.”
Lynet, a sponsored child from Uganda, was 12 years old when she heard the devastating news. Her father was ill and had been rushed to the hospital, leaving Lynet at the compound she shared with relatives.
“Aunt Patricia, the director at my Compassion centre, taught us that when you believe, nothing is impossible for God,” recalls Lynet.
“One day, my uncle came home [from the hospital] very discouraged. He said I needed to go and see my father and that I needed to pray.
“That day, I cried. The thought of losing my father was scary. My stepmother said God would heal him, but everybody had lost hope because Dad was too sick. They said he could not sit, walk, eat, or recognise people anymore.”
That night Lynet didn’t sleep. She prayed and read her Bible.
“I read Psalm 120:1, ‘I call on the Lord in my distress, and He answers me.’ I believed that when I shared my pain with God, He would answer me… I prayed to God that by the time I reached the hospital, Dad would be able to rise from his bed and have the strength to sit.
“As I prayed, the verse that came to me was Isaiah 41:10: ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’”
When a nervous Lynet and her family visited her father at the hospital, they were greeted with a beautiful sight.
“My dad was seated right there on the bed! I was so happy and praised the Lord in my heart. Dad smiled and reached out his hand to hold me by the shoulders. He said, “Omwishiki wangye wijja kundeba!” which means, “My beloved daughter, you have come to visit me!”
“When he recognised me, I knew that God was healing him. I kept telling him to trust God because nothing is impossible with Him. Dad said he believed because he knows that nothing is impossible with God.”
Lynet’s father was discharged from the hospital three weeks later.
For people who are praying faithfully and waiting for God’s answer, Lynet has this to say:
“God’s answers don’t always come quickly, but they are never late. I want people still waiting on God to continue praying and praising God and serving Him as they wait. He will answer them.”
Bible verses to encourage your prayers for the world
There are many encouraging scriptures about how believers can turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer for the world, through the power of the Holy Spirit. As part of your devotional time, look at what the Bible says to encourage you to pray for the world with faith and perseverance, confident of God’s love and power.
Hebrews 4:16
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
John 16:33
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 34:17
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”
Romans 12:12
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.”
1 Corinthians 15:58
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.”
Be inspired by testimonies by more Compassion graduates on our blog, and see how Compassion is striving to release children from poverty, in Jesus’ name. If you want to pray further, here are some more resources to help you.
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