A little context for this week’s prayer of the people: Last week at our youth group meeting, we talked about how nations tell their histories through the stories of presidents, emperors, and kings—yet scripture tells her story through the stories of God’s prophets. We discussed how the prophets often called out injustices in the land, and I asked the youth to think about the injustices they see in the world, our country, our city, and their schools, as well as where they have seen people working against injustice. Today’s prayer is inspired by what they shared last week, written from their perspective.

Good and loving God, we know you care for us and desire for us to thrive. At times, we do thrive, especially when we see the beauty in your creation and when we see your face in the faces of our neighbors. But, God, we want to be honest with you. Right now, it doesn’t feel like we are thriving. We look around at what is happening in the world, in our country, and even in our city and schools, and we can’t help but sigh deeply.

God, we don’t want to be bitter. We want to be a generation that strives for goodness, mercy, justice, compassion, and most importantly, love. So we come before you with the things that trouble us, asking for your mercy to reign and for you to inspire us to love well.

We pray for this war-torn world. We are tired of seeing leaders wield their power to wage war and call it necessary, while the bodies of the innocent continue to pile up. God, you know those who are suffering around the world. To many, they are just statistics, but to you, they are your beloved children. Help us grieve the loss of life, and give us ways to promote peace. We thank you for those who push for policies to make this world a safer place. It’s hard to know what we can actually do, but God, know that we care for our siblings who are dying.

For our country and our city, we cannot help but see how poverty, inequality, and hunger shine so brightly, yet it feels like most people aren’t bothered by their glare. Still, we thank you for people like social workers across the country who help others find housing. We thank you for people like Rodrigo, our friends at Meals on Heels, and the Ecumenical Outreach Partnership, who feed our neighbors, offering not just a meal but radical hospitality and love. They inspire us not to give up and to serve our community.

We pray for our schools as we continue to see bullying, both in person and online. We are already tired of trying to put up a front of perfection, and when people tear us down, we feel worthless. God, restore our souls. Remind us that our worth is not in what we do but in who we are. We thank you for friends, teachers, and people in our church who welcome us as we are, even in our goofiness.

And God, as we lift up these injustices, we know there are many more. Yet, we thank you for the prophets among us. Prophets like our youth group, prophets like young Samuel, and prophets who work behind the scenes, moving the needle in their communities. If there’s one thing we learn from scripture, it’s that you are not afraid to use us to do your work. We may be scared to join you, but you find ways to still call us to action. Thank you for the gift of participating in your redemption.

We pray this in Jesus’s name, who taught us to pray, saying…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.