For ears to listen

Dear God,

I pray for our president, and for our whole country, that we could listen to each other with trust and openness. Not to correct but to benefit one another. To work for the flourishing of each other.

I pray for myself that you would give me humility and wisdom.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Prosper thou the work of his hands

Dear God,

I pray for the flourishing of this country. I pray that you would prosper the work of our president, and guide his hands, so that he will do your will. Thank you for his visit with the pope, and I pray that you would bless him in his work. I pray for myself that I would never want to withhold your grace from anyone, but that I would love as you love.

In the name of Jesus,
Amen

For the love of your truth

Dear God,

I pray for our government, for all investigations happening now that you would let truth shine through the mess. I pray for President Trump that you would grow a love of truth in him, and you would make him more an more like yourself. I pray for the situation with the FBI, and thank you that you are king over it all, and I pray that you would bring all things for your glory. Help me to know what I should be doing to serve the common good.

In the name of your son,
Amen

For those who are sick

Dear God,

I pray for President Trump that he would strive to be faithful to his promises to protect the people of America, to work for quality health care. I pray especially for all those whose lives are in jeopardy, who face mental illness, for those with chronic conditions, for all those who are frightened. For those who will lose their healthcare, and don't know what else they can find. For those who want to have more children, and for whom their health care is no longer something to count on.

I pray this in Jesus' name,
Amen

For wisdom

Proverbs 4:4b-9

  “Take hold of my words with all your heart;
    keep my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
    do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
    love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get[a] wisdom.
    Though it cost all you have,[b] get understanding.
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
    embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head
    and present you with a glorious crown.”

Dear God,

Help our president to seek wisdom as you offer it.

Amen

Back from break

Leader: O Christ, Ruler of rulers, direct the work and thoughts of the leaders of nations, that they may seek justice and further peace and freedom for all. God of all mercies...
Everyone: ...hear our prayer.

The weight of responsibility

Dear God,

Please help President Trump, give him the strength he needs to help the people in this country. Help them by getting out of their way when the government is too involved. Help them by not taking away the things that are sustaining them. Guide health care. Guide the decisions being made.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

tired

Dear God,

I'm tired, and I don't run the government of the most powerful country in the world. Please give strength and good rest to everyone who needs it, including President Trump.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

For respect for women

Dear God,

Thank you that you made human beings in your image, and that you value the lives and contributions of women more than any person on this earth. Help President Trump to truly serve and respect the women in this country, guard his mouth, and his heart. Guide his policy, particularly as regards women's health, that no one will be discriminated against because of their gender.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

For elections throughout the world

Dear God,

I pray for the upcoming elections in The Netherlands and throughout Europe, that you would give people eyes to  see not only their own concerns but the concerns of those with whom they share a country. Please be with all those threatened by the way people are speaking sometimes in the Netherlands. Help President Trump to be a fair leader to the whole country, and not just to answer to money or influence.

I pray this in Jesus' name,
Amen

For refugees

Dear God,

I pray for the refugees. I pray for our country that we as citizens would have a heart to help the world, and people from places of crisis. I pray for South Sudan. I pray for Syria. I pray for Lebanon. And I pray for President Trump that he would become a voice for compassion.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

for a wise use of twitter

Dear God,

I don't know what to pray for all the time. Sometimes the news is so bleak, and the tweets from our president are so crazy that I don't know what to pray. Help President Trump to love truth. Keep lies from his mouth, and from his tweets. You are the God who rejoices in the truth.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

That we may be good stewards of this earth

Dear God,

Please help us individually and nationally to honor you with the way we treat this world. Help us reduce the amount of waste we produce, the sorts of energy we take for granted, the water and air which is so easily polluted.

Guide President Trump as he leads our nation's position as the world struggles to adjust to a changing climate, and as we take responsibility for our own actions. Give us grace to help one another in this giant task. Help us to love each other as neighbors as we seek to preserve this world.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Ash Wednesday

Dear God,

You are our hope in times of darkness. You are the substance where we are dust. You are steady when we are flighty. Help us. Work in us. Transform us by the power of your son. Show us the darkness of our sin, and turn us to your light. Lead us to confession, and make us new.

I pray for our country and for the world, as the church universal mourns for sin, and I pray for president Trump that you would lead him in your ways.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

For Jewish Community Centers

Dear God,

I pray for the Jewish Community Centers in our country. I pray that you would change the hearts of those threatening them, and I pray that no one would seek to harm anyone in them. That everyone there would be safe, and would not need to live in fear. I pray that President Trump will be a president for every person, including those threatened in the recent weeks.

I pray this in Jesus' name,
Amen

Dear God,

Please guide President Trump as he seeks a way to repeal and replace the ACA, and please help everyone depending on that care.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Gracious King and Good Shepherd

This prayer is from our service this morning, I pray it tonight for President Trump.

Our Gracious King and Good Shepherd, You alone can order our unruly wills and affections. Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace, that we may do your will with joy during the day, and when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks. Give us grace in the power of your Holy Spirit to love what you command and desire what you promise, that in all the changes and confusion of this age our hearts may be surely fixed where true joys are found: in Jesus, who reigns at your right hand with pleasures forevermore. Amen.

for your presence as we work

Dear God,

Thank you for your presence with me. Help me to know how I should be spending my time, my energy, my effort. Help me to love you better every day. Thank you for a safe and beautiful place to live. Help me to focus more on the people around me than on myself, to love better, work harder, focus on what you want me to focus on.

I pray all these things for President Trump as well.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

For the safe use of bathrooms

Dear God,

You show compassion and grace to people endangered and outcast from society, touching lepers, healing those bleeding for twenty years. I pray that you could continue to care for the least glamorous needs of the people of this world, that no person will be harmed or threatened in a bathroom. I pray that President Trump work to uphold this basic dignity, and that the people of this country would not fear those different from themselves.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Power is yours

Dear God,

The people in this world only have power because you allow them that power. Guide Donald Trump. Take away his bad advisors. Help him to lead the people of the USA with honesty, without partiality, and with truth.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

basic vanilla

Dear God,

Please be with President Trump today and always. Guide him in your truth. Endow him with your wisdom. Help those who advise him to bring out the best in him, and help with the conflict in the world. I pray for mutual understanding and love in this country. I pray that we would listen to each other. I also pray that I would have the courage to do what you would have me do for this country.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

For the arts

Dear God,

I pray for President Trump, that you would give him wisdom and grace when considering the budget, including but not limited to the NEA and NEH, and the benefits they provide to all people in this country.

O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through art and music to perfect the praises offered by your people on earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty, and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

for the future of this earth

Dear God,

Forgive us for the harm we have done to the world you've created. Help us to care for this world as a gift from you, and to be good stewards of all you've entrusted us with.

Be with President Trump. Help him to make decisions for the good of all in this country and of the world. Don't let him be swayed by appealing lies, or by easy answers to hard choices. Let him be concerned not with the time he is in power, but with the country he's leaving for his grandchildren and their grandchildren.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

congregational prayer

This is a prayer from church this morning

Leader: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Alleluia!

Everyone: Shout to the Lord, all the earth. Alleluia!

Leader: With joy let us pray to our Savior, the Son of God, who became one of us. O Christ, let your gospel shine in every place where the Word of life is not yet received. Draw the whole creation to yourself, that your salvation may be known through all the earth. God of all mercies...

Everyone: ...hear our prayer.

Leader: O Christ, Savior and Lord, extend your church to every place. Make it a place of welcome for people of every race and tongue. God of all mercies...

Everyone: ... hear our prayer.

Leader: O Christ, Ruler of rulers, direct the work and thoughts of the leaders of nations, that they may seek justice and further peace and freedom for all. God of all mercies...

Everyone: ...hear our prayer.

Leader: O Christ, Master of all, support of the weak and comfort of the afflicted, strengthen the tempted and raise the fallen. Watch over the lonely and those in danger. Give hope to the despairing and sustain the faith of the persecuted.

Everyone: The grace of God be with us all. Amen.

For our relationship with the world

Dear God,

Thank you that you are the ruler not only of our country, but of the whole world. Please be with President Trump as he interacts with diplomats and with the politicians from around the world that he will do so with wisdom and without giving offense. I pray that there would be peace in this world. For the situation in Congo, for the water crisis in Mexico, for unrest in South Korea, and for trade negotiations in Europe-- Let it be done to your glory.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

For peace between the administration and the media

Dear God,

Thank you for the rights and privileges we have in America, especially for the freedom of the press. I pray that you would work through this current situation. Let there be mutual understanding between the president and the press. Let conflicts that don't need to be conflicts dissipate, keep everyone from taking offense where none is meant, and let real contentions be clear and open.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

For the sick

Dear God,

Giver of life, great physician, comforter of sorrows, and healer of all ills, I pray for this country. I pray for those who are sick and whose lives swing in the balance of these political debates. I thank you for all the good that has been done in this country in recent years, all the lives transformed and saved, babies born and families held together because of affordable health care. Please continue to watch over this country, to help those in need, to provide for those who are sick, or in pain, or expecting a new child. Please direct president Trump as he guides policy, that he would act in the best interest of all Americans.

I pray this in Jesus' name,
Amen

Forgiveness and Peace

Dear God,

I've been reading a story about forgiveness leading to peace. I pray that I would know the true nature of forgiveness, and that you would lead me to your peace. I pray also for President Trump, that you would lead him as he leads this nation, that he would not stir up conflicts or hold onto grudges.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

leadership.

Dear God,

I pray for President Trump. I pray that he would follow the examples of good leaders from our past, and good leaders from around the world today. I pray that he would not use the power he has for his own gain, but for the benefit of others. Give him wisdom. Give him grace. Lead him in your truth.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Like George Washington

Dear God,

I pray for our forty-fifth president that he may learn from our first, that he would "seek truth, and pursue it steadily." I pray for all those who report on the events of this country, that you would give them balance and fairness, that they would also seek truth, and that they would find it, and share it. Help me also to share your truth in my life.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Compline Prayer

On behalf of all people in this world, and especially President Trump, I pray:

Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Generosity

Dear God,

Thank you for your many blessings. Today I am especially grateful for employment, and for your generosity to me giving more than I need, enough to buy unnecessary things like houseplants, and curtains.

I pray that I would use your gifts for other people, not only for myself, and that I would consider others needs before my own. I pray for those who are living in this country without documentation, and who are living in fear. Comfort them in their distress, keep them safe, now and in the future. I pray for the refugees, especially those coming to our country right now-- work in the hearts of the people around them, so that they would be shown your love.

I pray for President Trump, that he would act according to your laws, and your truth, upholding the dignity and sanctity of life of every person.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Eye twitching

Dear God,

I find myself today so stressed that my eye seems to be twitching uncontrollably. I imagine President Trump's life is a great deal more stressful than the trials of grad school. Give him peace. Give him rest. Allow him to work hard and well. I pray all this for myself also.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Short one.

Dear God,

Please be with President Trump. Help the fruit of the spirit to grow in him, and in me.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Rooted and established in love

Dear God,

Today, again, there is so much to lament in the news. Thank you for being the God who gathers our tears.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen President Trump with power through his Spirit in his inner being, so that Christ may dwell in his heart through faith. And I pray that he, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that he may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

Amen.

For his use of words

Dear God,

I pray for President Trump. Set a guard over his mouth; keep watch over the door of his lips. Let his mouth be a mouth of the righteous, uttering wisdom, and his tongue speaking justice.

I pray this for myself also. Give me wisdom in my words.

In Christ, through whom all things are possible,
Amen

For the President, and for those who teach.

Dear God,

Your followers referred to you as their teacher, and still you teach us today. You teach us how to love, and whom to love: yourself first, and through that love for you, loving our neighbors. Be with the senators making decisions tonight about confirming an authority over those who will teach. Be with President Trump-- I pray that our country will learn from him in ways that honor you. That we will learn to be better citizens under his authority. That we will not be passive. That we will take on our own responsibility for teaching in the areas of our lives where we teach.

Help us to learn more and more your truth and your grace.

In the name of the great teacher,
Amen

A prayer

Dear God,

I'm afraid these prayers will get less interesting as I go, but I'm trying to be faithful, so here is my prayer. Please be with President Trump. Help him to see that the power he has is from you, and help him to use it well. Give him wisdom. Give him good advisors. Give him the strength to do what is right, even when that is hard. Help him to lessen oppression, and assist those in need. Show your providence in this world, and be merciful to us,

for the sake of your son,
Amen

That he may judge wisely

Dear God,

I pray for President Trump, that he would look with your eyes. Let him not hold too tightly to the power he's been given. Keep him from bitterness. Guide him in your wisdom. In your justice. In your truth. Help him to judge wisely and to listen to those equipped to judge, and surround him with wise voices for him to hear. Let him listen to them.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

For a loving marriage

Dear God,

You are the Lord and giver of love, please be with our President and first lady as their marriage takes on all the added stress of the presidency. Protect them and their son from hatred, and let them grow in love for each other. Give them laughter together, over skype or the phone or however it goes as they deal with time long distance. That is a difficult thing, and I pray that you will give them the patience and the grace to handle it well.

I pray in Jesus' name,
Amen

That we may honor one another, and serve the common good

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may
be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

Guide the people of this land, especially our president 
Donald Trump, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice 
and peace; that we may honor one another and serve the common good.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and
bring them the joy of your salvation.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours
of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and
chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A prayer of thanksgiving

Dear God,

Thank you for America. Thank you for a country where we are free to worship you in safety and in peace. Thank you for a government full of checks and balances, so that it is not easy for any one person to overturn it. Thank you for the home America has become for so many from so many parts of the world. Thank you for the blessings you've given us in diversity of people from so many parts of the world, and thank you do how much we can learn from each other. Thank you for the men and women who have fought and still put their lives in danger for the sake of the freedoms we enjoy. 

Please help us to give the benefits we are so grateful for ourselves, the blessing of freedom from religious persecution, that we would do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Please help me to know what to do to be a blessing here, and bless those working to protect our rights and freedoms. Please be with President Trump this week. Help him follow your word not by putting legal preference on Christians, but by doing what you ask of your people.

Leviticus 19:33-34- “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Respect for authority

Dear God,

You tell us to respect those in authority because there is no authority that you have not established. By respecting the country and its leaders, I respect you. Help me to know how to respect those leaders, including President Trump, in a way that is truly honoring to you. Opposing him in all that is evil, supporting him in all that is good. Help him to listen to the concerns of his people. Help him to listen to the concerns of those with more experience, those who have more information. Keep him from acting in hatred, or with vindictiveness. Protect all those who are in danger. Be a shield around the refugees seeking shelter, seeking hope. Let us all grow to be more and more like Jesus, and allow us to be your hands and feet of mercy and compassion in this world.

In your mercy, hear my prayer.
Amen

By his Love and Power Controlling

Dear God,

I pray this for myself, and for our president as well.

In Jesus' name,
Amen



May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.

May His beauty rest upon me,
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.

1 Corinthians 13

Dear God,

It's a tough week when your words about love come out sounding like political sarcasm. But you do impossible things in this world-- you change hearts, you change minds. Work in Donald Trump, change him everyday more and more into the image of your son. Make him patient. Make him kind. Not envious, not boasting, not proud. Stop him from dishonoring others, our country, this world, but especially you. Keep him from being self-seeking, keep him from being easily angered, let him dissolve all record of wrongs. Let him embrace your love, not delighting in evil, but rejoicing with the truth. May he always protect, always trust, always hope, and always persevere.

In the name of your son, who loves perfectly,
Amen

Fill him with the love of Truth

For the President of the United States and all in Civil Authority 

O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend this nation to thy merciful care, that, being guided by thy Providence, we may dwell secure in thy peace. Grant to the President of the United States, the Governor of this State (or Commonwealth), and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do thy will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in thy fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

 From the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer