As we listen to the news from our communities and around the world, we can find ourselves overwhelmed by all that is wrong with it. This prayer of petition and lament brings some of those circumstances to God. Feel free to adapt this prayer for your own context.
I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
—Psalm 77:1
Lord, listen…
Lord, listen to your children praying…
…children starving in a war torn land,
…children singing Christian songs as they flee disaster,
…children sitting in underground tunnels as bombs burst above,
…children crying quietly in the night time of their fear,
…children longing for the love of a parent ,
…children who have lost all hope.
Lord listen…
Lord, listen to a world moaning…
…a world of wildfires and smoke,
…a world filling with gases and polluted air,
…a world of consumers who consume too much,
…a world ravaged by hurricanes and floods,
…a world of fierce beauty and real distress,
…a world groaning in labor, longing for the birth of new creation.
Lord listen…
Lord, listen to your people crying…
…parents crying for their children,
…Christians crying for burned churches and homes,
…the migrant crying for meaningful work,
…those on the margins crying for inclusion,
…the addict crying for release from addition,
…the abused ones crying for safety and self-worth.
Lord listen…
Lord, listen to your church weeping…
…a weeping, broken church whose love is lukewarm,
…a church divided by human rules and decisions,
…a church that is not sure who to love or how to love,
…a church weeping for those who no longer believe,
…a church weeping for the wounded, the weak, and the suffering.
Lord, listen to your children praying, moaning, crying, and weeping.
Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.
—Diane Dykgraaf, © 2025 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, CC BYNC-SA, International. Used by permission.
Sing: “Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying” Medema