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RSSPrayers of the People for Haiti
With breaking hearts and flowing tears, in numb shock, in deep dismay (slight pause) and with deepest trust in You, O Lord, the God of all compassion, we pray most urgently for the people of Haiti, for all who suffer oppression, and for the world.
Leader: Lord, from your steadfast love and compassion,
People: May your light shine in glory.
Giver of life, lover of life, find and free, O Lord, those who may yet be rescued in Haiti. Lead and guide the rescue workers and animals searching for those trapped midst the rubble and ruin. May your Holy Spirit grant strength, hope and perseverance to each and every person working to find survivors or to care for the injured.
Leader: Lord, from your steadfast love and compassion,
People: May your light shine in glory.
Guide and direct those who are providing food, water and medical care to those who have gone for days now hungry, thirsty, injured or ill. Grant wisdom to those who are coordinating relief efforts. May any blocks to speedy delivery of relief be removed, and may the aid flow freely.
Leader: Lord, from your steadfast love and compassion,
People: May your light shine in glory.
Wrap your loving arms of comfort and strength around those who have lost loved ones, that they may know and feel your very presence with them in this time. Carry them through the difficult days to come, and may they know they do not walk alone.
Leader: Lord, from your steadfast love and compassion,
People: May your light shine in glory.
We pray for all Haitians living in this country and around the world, who seek to locate loved ones. May channels of communication be opened for them. We pray for Haiti’s president, René Préval, and its government, as they struggle to help their people in the aftermath of this disaster. We pray for our President, Barack Obama, for our government, and for all world leaders and governments lending aid and assistance in the wake of this catastrophe. We pray for the United Nations, which has lost so many workers this week in Haiti.
Leader: Lord, from your steadfast love and compassion,
People: May your light shine in glory.
Bless and restore the Episcopal Church in Haiti, which has lost people, churches, cathedral, schools, and ministries. Comfort, support and strengthen our Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ through this crisis. Bless the work of Episcopal Relief & Development in Haiti.
Leader: Lord, from your steadfast love and compassion,
People: May your light shine in glory.
Lord, Haiti has suffered so greatly through the most severe poverty, hurricanes, economic and political oppression. And now, to endure the devastation of this earthquake is beyond comprehension. Redeem this land, and restore its future. May the hope of this people not be in vain. May the promise that with You, all things are possible, be fulfilled for the people of Haiti.
Leader: Lord, from your steadfast love and compassion,
People: May your light shine in glory.
May we, who have so much, not rest until the vindication of this nation that has suffered so greatly shines forth like the dawn. May the people of Haiti know they are not forsaken, but come, in time, to believe that they are Your delight, O Lord. May we love and care for them as we love ourselves, and may we be your hands and feet in humble service to all who are suffering such enormous loss.
Leader: Lord, from your steadfast love and compassion,
People: May your light shine in glory.
We lift to your loving hands the many thousands who have died this week in Haiti; may light perpetual shine upon them. Let us remember them in silence at this time. (Hold silence for 1-2 minutes.)
Leader: Lord, from your steadfast love and compassion,
People: May your light shine in glory.
As we approach the commemoration of the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we praise You for his witness, in Your Name, to the cause of freedom for all who have suffered persecution and oppression as the result of racism. We give thanks for his work, his teaching, his dream, and his sacrifice for the sake of justice, dignity and freedom for all people, regardless of the color of their skin. May we never keep silent in the face of racial abuse or discrimination, and may the struggle for racial equality continue in our church, in this nation, and around the world, until it is achieved.
Leader: Lord, from your steadfast love and compassion,
People: May your light shine in glory.
Written by the Rev. Joan Grant, Diocese of Southern Ohio
