Week of March 4, 2026
Rev. Catherine Nance
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God of the universe, we desperately need to think of you and pray to you as God of the whole world tonight instead of just our own little world.
It is three o’clock on Wednesday in Knoxville as this prayer is written and prayed. It is already ten o’clock in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is half-past eleven o’clock in Tehran, Iran. Children will be getting out of school soon here in Knoxville and by the time this prayer is read, they will have had supper and may be getting ready for bed.
O God of other places, are the children in Tehran and Tel Aviv asleep? Have they been able to sleep through the night without nightmares or being startled awake? It will be morning soon for them. What will they find, O Lord?
O God who is with all soldiers, of all people, do they all think in military time? Do families know how to translate twenty-one hundred hours into what time it is at home? The hours must be longer, O God, when loved ones are far away.
O God of all people, please convict the leaders who are making decisions about how long a war will last mindful of the minutes and hours that families and soldiers must endure. Days and weeks are an eternity when a child is hungry or scared or missing their parent. It does not matter if that child is in Ukraine or Ecuador or Tehran.
Our hearts are heavy and frightened, O Prince of Peace. Please break into the hardness of hearts and dismantle the greed and quest for power. We are hearing that war is a means to peace, but you have shown another way, O God. Forgive our trust in violence and help us see other paths. Remind us of the peace you bring. We cannot help but imagine your heart is weighed down with anguish and grief as your children go to war … again.
On Wednesday evenings, we usually pray as a church family for those who are near and dear, and we do hold them in our hearts. But it seems that all those who are near and dear have heavy hearts as well. We have family and friends who are facing cancer, unemployment, grief, sickness, and depression. Our hearts are usually opened in prayer, but they feel so burdened with the violence that is escalating. Make room in our hearts O God for all these concerns. We know that through the power of your holy spirit that you can brighten the dark places in our hearts, make room for hope, and cause us to remember joy. Your world needs hearts that are open. Pour out your Holy Spirit on all of us who are praying together tonight, and fill our hearts with hope, love, and resolve to always work for peace. May our prayer be a healing balm.
We pray for those who are near and dear to us …
We pray for ….
- People who are caught in international travel issues; prayers for safe arrival home for students and those on mission trips.
- Our military and their families.
- Children who are living through the trauma of war.
- A member who was just diagnosed with breast cancer; hopeful that it is early detection and very small. Meeting with surgeon Thursday; prayers for healing.
- A family in the death of their wife and mother.
- A member who was hospitalized; prayers for continued strength and health.
We continue to pray for …
- Those who are having funerals this week.
- A brother facing lung cancer.
- A grandson as he faces a big opportunity; may he feel God’s peace regardless of the outcome.
- A young man who began a month-long residential addiction rehab this week. Prayers for strength and that he does not feel alone.
- Church members who are undergoing chemotherapy; may they feel God’s strength as their body fights cancer.
- One who is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
- A member who has begun chemotherapy treatments; prayers for healing.
- For a young couple with a child and expecting twins; prayers for good health.
We give thanks for ….
- A healthy granddaughter born this week!
And we offer the prayer that Christ taught us 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 trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.
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