A Guide to Prayers Throughout the Day
January 20, 2021
As a people of Christ, we are invited to call on God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit for support and guidance. On this January 20, 2021, there will be changes in leadership which effect our community, nation, and world as well as our individual lives. Therefore we go to God for comfort, guidance and wisdom.
We suggest you spend this day in prayer and scripture. Below are prayers for the various “hours” of the day: morning, mid-morning, noon, afternoon and a benediction for the end of the day. It can be very comforting to know that our congregation is praying these prayers together, throughout the day, in support for our leaders, country and the world, as well as for ourselves.
There is also a list of twenty verses about peace that you may wish to read. Or you may wish to read/pray the Psalms throughout the day, which is another source of comfort.
In Peace May We Pray to the Lord!
Morning Prayer for Our Nation
God of all: The nation is not healed by correct ideas, or intellectual nods in the direction of doctrine.
No, the nation is healed when faith becomes a fire that captures our hearts, that consumes our lives, and that moves us into actions of love and justice.
And so we pray for all people in this country, friends and family members, believers and those seeking, that our faith may be expressed through actions of love and welcome of inclusion and celebration.
We pray for all people in our nation, leaders and followers, those with much, and those with little that our faith may be expressed through actions of generosity and unity, of listening and respecting.
We pray for all people in our nation, those who believe as we do, and those who believe differently, that our faith may be expressed through actions of peacemaking and freedom-bringing, of creation-caring and hope-giving.
Our country is not healed when faith is just words, ideas or rituals. Our country is healed when faith is put into Christlike action, and healing is not just a possibility – it is a certainty.
It’s just a question of time.
AMEN
Mid-Morning Prayer for Our Leaders
God of Wisdom: There are so many people of influence in our world, those with loud voices and deep pockets, those with large lives and wide networks—Who are the leaders?
As we struggle to keep our broken humanity from splintering into countless irreparable fragments; As we wrestle with our greed and arrogance, our ignorance and short- sightedness, our violence and coldness, our carelessness and narcissism—Who are the leaders?
Raise up for us, O God, leaders worthy of the name, men and women who like Christ are unafraid of challenge, unashamed of serving, and unattached to their own personal gain. We pray for these leaders that they be blessed by you with wisdom and discernment, justice, peace and love.
Raise up for us men and women who like Christ call to the best within us, then lead the way. In our own small spheres, God, may we be the leaders you call us to be.
God we pray that our leaders be granted wisdom in these days of madness and misdirection, of panic and confusion.
Those who carry the weight of authority cannot adequately discern the common interest nor negotiate with allies and enemies on the strength of their own intelligence;
Those who direct economies cannot easily recognize the value of things nor address the questions asked by wealth and poverty by human insight alone;
Those who voice dreams and anxieties in sounds and images cannot offer hope and guidance nor challenge and disturb us to justice and compassion with their own frail inspiration;
God we need wisdom, if we are to find the life we long for; And so we pray, lead us to yourself.
AMEN
Mid-Day Prayer for Peace
We celebrate the dream of peace: Not only the absence of conflict, but the presence of true compassion and community;
We celebrate the dream of justice: Not only appropriate consequence, but radical, inclusive dignity and equality;
We celebrate the dream of goodness: Not only an end to corruption and evil, but the nurture of extravagant integrity and love;
We celebrate the dream of salvation: Not only life beyond the grave, but present wholeness and restoration for all;
Here and now, O God, we, your people, give you thanks and praise for the dream, and the reality, of Shalom.
AMEN
Afternoon Prayer for Our World
In a cynical and despairing world, O God, give us a quietly prophetic voice to proclaim your hope.
In a violent and angry world, O God, give us a quietly prophetic voice to proclaim your peace.
In a world living amidst the fear of a pandemic, O God, give us a quietly prophetic voice to proclaim your compassion.
In a lonely and inhospitable world, O God, give us a quietly prophetic voice to proclaim your love.
In a grieving and weeping world, O God, give us a quietly prophetic voice to proclaim your joy.
May we be so captivated by your hope, O God, that we cannot help but to whisper, to sing, and to enact, the message of your reign which is always coming into our world;
And may our quietly prophetic lives, be channels of your restoring grace wherever we may go.
Amen.
End of Day Benediction
As I reflect upon this day, may I be able to catch a glimpse of you, Lord. Whenever others reflect on their day, may they have seen a glimpse of you through my words and deeds.
{Reflect upon the day}
I give thanks for the peace of Christ that is always present.
{Reflect on the moments of peace which you experienced today}
I give thanks for the guidance received through the teachings of Christ and his representatives.
{Give thanks for those that have represented Christ to you today}
I give thanks for your protection offered through the storms of this day.
{Remember the storms of the day and give them to God’s care}
I praise you for the wonders that you have shown to me and with which I have been blessed.
{Give thanks for your blessings}
I pray for a peaceful night’s sleep so that I may wake refreshed and ready to be the disciple which you call me to be tomorrow—ready to work for hope, justice, peace, joy and love
AMEN
20 Verses About Peace
John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
Psalm 4:8
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 72:7
“In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!”
Daniel 10:19
“And he said, ‘O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.' And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, 'Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.’ ”
Isaiah 32:17
“And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.”
Isaiah 52:7
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’ ”
Isaiah 53:5
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Proverbs 3:16-18
“Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.”
Proverbs 12:20
“Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy.”
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Romans 5:1
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
Romans 14:17
“For the kingdom of God is not matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 13:11
“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
Ephesians 2:14
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.”
Philippians 4:7
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Colossians 3:15
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
2 Thessalonians 3:16
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”
2 John 1:3
“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.”
Jude 1:2
“May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.”
