Prayer Path

Welcome to our prayer path. If you follow our path, guided by the map below and the numbers you’ll find along the way, you’ll take a short walk through a small wooded corner of creation.

This page contains suggestions for prayers you might offer at each numbered station along the way. We hope that as you make your way through the stations, you’ll experience peace and the assurance of God’s love and presence.

Station #1: Creation

Look down, notice the leaves one the ground. Look up and see the branches dividing the sky. Know that the God who created the tiniest insect and the wide expanse of the sky also created you. Say a prayer thanking God for creation. Say a lament for the way creation suffers.

Dear God, creator of the universe and of us, who breathed into dirt, and said “it is good,” we look around at the world you have made and say, “yes, it is good.” The azaleas bloom in spring, the trees’ canopies extend shade to us in the heat of summer, and burnished red, orange, and gold shower down over us in the fall. Thank you for this beautiful world. We pray over creation and bow our heads in repentance for when we have been faithless stewards of all this goodness. The earth’s resources are slowly drained and polluted and humanity collectively bears the responsibility. Show us better ways and give us the desire to walk in them so that we can be part of the restoration rather than the destruction of this world. In your name we pray, Amen.

Station #2: Nations

Scan your mind back to the most recent news headline you read. Did it lift you up with hope at how God is at work or fill you with frustration or even despair at the violence and corruption filling the earth? If the former, give thanks; if the latter, bring it before God now.

Dear God, king of kings, who brings princes to ruin and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing, we know you have the whole world in your hands, but sometimes it is hard for this knowledge to infuse our hearts with faith and hope in your plan. We look around the world and see wars and rumors of wars; we see natural disasters leaving vulnerable people without basic necessities. We fear rash actions from powerful people. God, we pray for justice to roll down from your mountain, a cleansing stream that washes away impurities and brings living water to those thirsty for hope and healing. In your name we pray, Amen.

Station #3: Government

Take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Thinking about our government can make many of us feel angry and helpless; sometimes it puts us at odds with people we love; sometimes it reveals ugliness in ourselves and in our friends and acquaintances. Give over these negative feelings to God who is big enough to hold onto them for you and transform them into something beautiful in his time.

Dear God, who we call Lord and to whom we acknowledge allegiance, we recognize the blessing of living in this country with a stable democratic system and regular peaceful elections. We still fear when people are elected to power that we believe hold dangerous positions or who we don’t trust to have the nation’s best interests at heart. Be with our nation’s leaders at the federal, state, and local levels. Give the men and women who hold office integrity, wisdom, and courage. In your name we pray, Amen.

Station #4: The Church

Look down the slope, through the trees. Let your eyes run over this small church building, a representation of the Church which stretches across the globe and through time. Cast your mind over the people who have connected you to this larger body of believers: friends who now live far away: grandparents and parents who have passed from life to Life. Hold these people in your mind as you pray for the Church

Dear God, who sent your spirit into the world to grow and strengthen your Church, to build her up and prepare her to be your glorious bride, we pray for this Church of which we are a small part. In some places in this world she is thriving and being your salt and light. Bless those congregations and ministries. In some places in this world she faces persecution and poverty. Strengthen these portions of your church. In some places in this world she is divided and damaged by abuse, scandal, theological disputes, and political partisanship. God have mercy on her. Lift up and lift close victims of spiritual and physical abuse perpetrated by your Church. We were baptized into your church and so we share in her joys and in her shames; forgive us Lord and reconcile us fully to each other and to you. In your name we pray. Amen.

Station #5: This church

Consider the tree in front of you and the hollow which even on hot days contains a small puddle of water. This church strives to be like this tree, bringing water to all who are thirsty. Say a prayer now for either this church or the church of which you are a member.

Dear God who cares for the least of these, bless our efforts to follow your compassionate lead in loving our neighbors. We pray for the food pantry that is blessed by and is a blessing to our neighbors by offering them food. Send us able volunteers, open doors for funding and community partnerships, and continue to give our church a heart for this ministry. We pray for our Kids Hope Program and our partnership with Arcola Elementary school. Bless the teachers and students at that school—give them joy in the pursuit of education even on difficult days. Be with the mentors from our congregation who build relationships with students and try to offer them support. We also pray for the ministries of the church that seek to serve and disciple the members of the congregation and our children; help us to never tire of loving service to each other and to you. In your name we pray, Amen.

Station #6: People

As this time of prayer comes to a close, think of your loved ones, and what their needs might be. Guided by this prayer, lift their needs up to God.

Dear God who watches over the sparrows we hear chirping in the brush, who knows every squirrel that chatters up in these trees, hear now our prayers for the people we know and love. We bring before you the children and youth we know; send them good friends and wise mentors. In all the trials of learning to grow up be near to them; in all the joys of childhood and growing awareness of the world bless them.

We bring before you young adults, married or single; parents or childless. The first few decades of adulthood can be so tumultuous as we find out who we are and what we were put on this world to do. For those who have chosen parenthood, there are joys and trials; for those who have chosen to be single there are joys and trials. For those who are somewhere in between, there are joys and trials. Be near to all young adults we pray.

Be with those who are enjoying or struggling in the middle decades of their lives. These years bring many transitions as children grow up and leave and parents slowly age and grow more dependent. For some careers are finally feeling secure and for others retirement is appealing but elusive. Be with everyone who feels sandwiched between competing responsibilities during this time of life.

Finally, bless those we know and love who are aging, whose wisdom grows more bright even as their bodies grow more fragile. Give them opportunities to bless the church and their families. Minds may fail along with bodies, and it can be so painful for those who suffer in this way at the end of their lives. Bring your peace that passes all understanding to these saints of yours and show us how to love and honor those who suffer aging’s effects.

These and many more requests for the ones we love, we offer up to you, our God, confident that you hear even unspoken prayers and care for all your adopted sons and daughters. In your name we pray, Amen.