19/08/2026
Prayers 19 August 2026
In the quietness of our homes, let us place ourselves in the presence of God.
† In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We thank and praise you, Lord God of mercy and grace, for you entered into covenant trust with your chosen people and bestowed on them boundless gifts and an irrevocable calling. In Jesus you take your children’s food and give it to all creation, even we who lurk in the shadows, hoping for the crumbs of your eternal glory. You have lifted us from the floor to your table, and from a place beyond redemption to the joy of your heart.
Living God, however poor our prayer is, we search for you with calm confidence. Your love carves out a way forward through our hesitations and even through our doubts.
Jesus our peace, by the Holy Spirit you always come to us. In the deepest part of our soul, there is the wonder of a presence. Our prayer may be quite poor, but you pray within us.
Eternal God, in whose providence we are closely bound together in the bundle of life, in our society, in the church, and in the world, help us to remember how much our lives depend upon the courage and industry, the honesty and integrity, of our fellow human beings, and on the natural resources of our planet earth.
May we be mindful of all their needs, grateful for their services, and faithful ourselves in our responsibilities towards them; for Jesus Christ’s sake. And may your holy and life-giving Spirit move every human heart, so that hatred and suspicion, exclusion and exploitation, cease within our society.
Forgiving God, you sent Joseph to Egypt, through the conspiracy of his brothers, to redeem your people from the curse of famine. You sent your Son, Jesus, to the cross, through the corruption of our human will, to liberate us from sin and death. Raise up among us children of hope, of courage, of truth, and of vision, who embody your will to turn our evil into your good. Transform the lives of all who suffer in the global hunger and malnutrition crisis today; visit any who are excluded by envy or prejudice or fear; and lift the hearts of those who are weighed down under burdens too great to bear.
O God who is love, and who sees all the suffering, injustice, and misery which reign in this world: Have pity on the work of your hands. Look mercifully on those affected by the oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan; on patients with Ebola in DR Congo and their families; strengthen the resolve of those who treat them, alleviate their plight, and fight the epidemic. Fill our hearts with deep compassion for the injured and bereaved in the earthquakes in Colombia and Indonesia and in the ferry disaster on Zimababwe’s Lake Kariba; and for those who endure loss of loved ones, terror, and bombardment in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Hasten the coming of your kingdom of justice, truth, and peace.
Lord God, renew in us peace of heart and a serene joy this day. Risen Christ, you are with us, even with those who are unaware of your presence. You place in our hearts a longing for your kingdom. You call us to share the fruits of the earth and of our work. Lord God, by Christ the fullness of your life is offered to us. May we this day place into your hands our entire life.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen.
