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P AG E 1 O F 6
Jesus sai d, Blessed are the poor in spirit.
We pray for the children, women, and men across the world who
struggle
each day to survive, pitted against economic conditions beyond
their control
Give them strength to meet each day and hope for a different
future.
Jesus said, Blessed are the peacemakers.
We pray for the people and organizations campaigning for change.
May the
call for trade justice, for an end to debt, and for more and
better aid echo
loud and clear across the world.
Jesus said, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness. We
pray for the leaders and politicians with the power to change
things. Help
them to take the side of the poor, to resist the voices of
self-interest and
complacency, and to make bold choices for the good of all
people.
We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, friend of the
poor. Amen.
-Adapted from Make Poverty History
Poverty
Praying about
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P AG E 2 O F 6
On thOse bOwed dOwn by pOverty,
Lord have mercy.
On those who struggle to survive,
Lord have mercy.On parents who have lost children to
disease,
Lord have mercy.
On children who miss school because of unpayable debt,
Lord have mercy.
On young people growing up with no hope for the future,
Lord have mercy.
On adults who work and cannot make a living,
Lord have mercy.
On farmers who cannot sell what they produce,
Lord have mercy.
On people working to rebuild their lives after disasters,
Lord have mercy.For campaigners ghting for justice,
Make their voices heard.
For citizens standing up for their rights,
Make their voices heard.
For postcard-signers, email-senders, and phone-callers,
Make their voices heard.
For politicians and decision-makers,
Give them wisdom, Lord.
For ourselves, as we struggle with these issues,
Make us the means of change.
For your world,
Help us make poverty history.-Micah Challenge
Christ, whO shOwed great compassion to the poor,
give us compassion toward those in poverty.
Your wish is for all of your children to live with dignity,
with adequate food, shelter, health care, and education.
Help us take up your work as a community of faith
and guide us as we seek just solutions to the poverty in our
midst.
Amen.
- author unknown
Forgive us forour focus onmaterial goods,
and our partin the worshipof economic
growth.
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P AG E 3 O F 6
GOd Of JustiCe and COmpassiOn, we ask forgiveness for the
widening gulf between rich and poor, for the use of money as a
measure of
all things, for the culture of self-gratication, for the
continuing disparities
between those who have so much and those who have so little. And
for thesuffering of those people who are excluded from the table of
abundance.
Forgive us for our focus on material goods, and our part in the
worship of
economic growth in a world where resources are limited and where
we are
already using more than our fair share.
Forgive us for going along with what is easy, for failing to
come to grips with
the problems of change and to engage in the complexity of social
issues.
Fill us with a living faith that we may become lively seeds of
your kingdom,
continually growing in your way of love, instruments of personal
and social
reconciliation, vehicles for a new dawn when those in poverty
are welcomedto the table where compassion and justice meet. Lord,
in your mercy, hear
our prayer. Amen.-Education for Justice
i dare tO pray: Lord, let the world be changed,
For I long to see the end of poverty;
I dare to pray: Lord, let the rules be changed,
For I long to see our economic structures bring justice to the
poor;
I dare to pray: Lord, let my life be changed,
For I long to bring hope where the good news is needed.
In the strength of your spiritAnd inspired by your
compassion,
I make this promise to work for change,
And wait condently for the day
When you make all things new
And those that weep will rejoice.- Peter Graystone
I dare topray: Lord, letthe world be
changed,For I long tosee the end of
poverty.
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P AG E 4 O F 6
may GOd bless us with discomfort
at easy answers, half truths, and supercial relationships,
so that we may live deep within our hearts.
May God bless us with anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that we may work for economic justice for all people.
May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer
from pain, hunger, homelessness, and rejection,
so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them
and to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless us with enough foolishness
to believe that we can make a difference in the world
so that we can do what others claim cannot be done.-Education
for Justice
lOrd GOd, you created all people as special and equal,
yet we live in a world where there is great injustice. We
know this grieves your heart and we ask your forgiveness
for our complacency. Too often, we shrug our shoulders
and do nothing, or we blame poor people themselves for
their suffering. Sometimes our behavior and attitudes
help to perpetuate injustice.
O God, stir our hearts to action. Help us to be full of
compassion. Just as Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalemand
healed those who cried out to him, let us be people
who cry out for justice and spread the good news of
your kingdom.
We pray through Jesus our Lord, Amen.-Micah Challenge
Our dear GOd and father, we admit that we have
neglected to remember the poor. Forgive us, we pray.
Help us, as followers of Jesus, to work together to
pursue justice, be passionate about kindness, and walk
humbly with you, our God.
May our world be transformed in every area by your love.
Our dear God and Father, we admit that we have been
arrogant as a nation. Forgive us, we pray.
Help us to be agents of hope for and with the poor and
to work with others to hold our leaders accountable in
securing a more just and merciful world. Amen.-Micah
Challenge
O God, stirour hearts toaction. Help
us to be full ofcompassion.
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P AG E 5 O F 6
GOd, help us to end poverty in our time.
The poverty of having a child with too little to eat and no
place to sleep,
no air, sunlight and space to breathe, bask and grow.
The poverty of watching your child suffer and get sicker and
sicker and notknowing what to do or how to get help because you
dont have a car or
health insurance.
The poverty of working your ngers to the bone every day taking
care of
someone elses children and neglecting your own, and still not
being able to
pay your bills.
The poverty of having a job that does not let you afford a
stable place to live
and being terried youll become homeless and lose your children
to foster care.
The poverty of losing your job because you cannot nd reliable
childcare or
transportation to work.
The poverty of working all your life caring for others and
having to start all
over again caring for the grandchildren you love.
The poverty of earning a college degree, having children,
opening a childcarecenter, and taking home $300 a week or month if
youre lucky.
The poverty of loneliness and isolation and alienationhaving no
one to call
or visit, tell you where to get help, assist you in getting it,
or care if youre
living or dead.
The poverty of having too much and sharing too little and having
the burden
of nothing to carry.
The poverty of convenient blindness and deafness and
indifference to others,
of emptiness and enslavement to things, drugs, power, violence,
and eeting fame.
The poverty of low aim and paltry purpose, weak will and tiny
vision, big
meetings and small action, loud talk and sullen grudging
service.
The poverty of believing in nothing, standing for nothing,
sharing nothing,
sacricing nothing, struggling for nothing.
The poverty of pride and ingratitude for Gods gifts of life and
children and
family and freedom and country and not wanting for others what
you want
for yourself.
The poverty of greed for more and more and more, ignoring,
blaming, and
exploiting the needy, and taking from the weak to please the
strong.
The poverty of addiction to drugs, to drink, to work, to self,
to the status
quo, and to injustice.
The poverty of fear that keeps you from doing the thing you
think is right.
The poverty of despair and cynicism.
God, help us end poverty in our time in all its faces and
places, young and
old, rural, urban, suburban, and small town too, and in every
color ofhumans you have made everywhere.
God, help us to end poverty in our time in all its guisesinside
and out
physical and spiritual, so that all our and your children may
live the lives
that you intend.
- author unknown
God, help us toend poverty inour time.
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About World Vision
wOrld visiOn is a Christian humanitarian organization
dedicatedto working with children, families, and their communities
worldwide
to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty
and
injustice. Motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ, World Vision
serves
alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of Gods
unconditional love for all people.
We envision a world where each child experiences fullness of
life
as described in John 10:10. We know this can be achieved only
by
addressing the problems of poverty and injustice in a holistic
way.
World Vision is unique in bringing 60 years of experience in
three key
areas to help children and families thrive: emergency relief,
long-term
development, and advocacy. We bring our skills across many areas
ofexpertise to each community where we work, enabling us to
support
childrens physical, social, emotional, and spiritual
well-being.
About World Vision ResourcesendinG GlObal pOverty and injustice
begins with education:
understanding the magnitude and causes of poverty, its impact
on
human dignity, and our connection to those in need around the
world.
World Vision Resources is the publishing ministry of World
Vision.World Vision Resources educates Christians about global
poverty,
inspires them to respond, and equips them with innovative
resources
to make a difference in the world.
For more information about our
resources, contact:
World Vision Resources
Mail Stop 321
P.O. Box 9716
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716
Fax: 253-815-3340
[email protected]
