Bread for the World believes prayer is central to the work of ending hunger by 2030. Hunger happens in every corner of the world. In this blog series, we will provide a prayer for a different group of countries each week and their efforts to end hunger.
This prayer series will follow the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, a list compiled by the World Council of Churches that enables Christians around the world to journey in prayer through every region of the world, affirming our solidarity with Christians all over the world, brothers and sisters living in diverse situations, experiencing their challenges and sharing their gifts.
We will especially be lifting up in prayer the challenges related to hunger and poverty that the people of each week’s countries face. In prayer, God’s story and our own story connect—and we and the world are transformed. In a prayer common to all of us — the Lord’s Prayer/the Our Father — we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This line from this prayer can also be a prayer for the end of hunger.
We invite you to join Bread in our prayers for the world’s countries to end hunger. And we encourage you to share with us your prayers for the featured countries of the week or for the end of hunger in general.
For the week of August 2 – 8: Canada and the United States of America
Oh loving God, right now, we take time to pray for Canada and the United States, our country.
We thank you for these nations and the blessing they have been to many, and we pray for your kingdom to come and your will to be done in North America.
Specifically, we pray for love to wash over our hearts and produce forgiveness and reconciliation in our nation amidst current and past racial tensions. We ask that you will help us see the common thread among us all — that we are human beings and therefore each of us deserves to be equally treated with love and respect. We especially pray for the First Nations in Canada, who, in the past, have unfortunately been mistreated by those in power. We ask for healing and restoration of hearts and also pray for peace and restoration between the black and white populations in the United States.
In addition, we pray for economic equality, regardless of race, socioeconomic background, and citizenship status. We are aware of the growing disparity in income, and we pray for accountability in the economic and political systems in both countries to provide equal chance for adequate income generation to each person. For the past several decades, the systems have favored the success of a certain group, and we need your wisdom and grace to see necessary changes made to benefit all.
Furthermore, we pray for integrity in corporations and businesses to maintain just practices and pray for an end to unjust ones. We ask for greater accountability through advocacy and policies and pray for a movement of integrity to sweep across the corporations and businesses. In addition, we pray that the culture in North America would not be driven by consumerism and the competition to make the most money but by your love and purpose.
Along with these things, we pray for the church in North America that they would be awake and ready vessels for your kingdom, extending your love and life to whomever they meet and to the nations around the world.
We pray these things in Jesus’ glorious name. Amen.
Percentage of the population of these countries living below the national poverty line (2014 figures):
- Canada: 9.4
- United States of America: 14.5
Source: U.S. Census Bureau and the CIA World Factbook
Prayer is a central part of Bread for the World’s work. Learn more about how you can get involved with prayer at Bread.
Photo: Picturesque view of the Grand Canyon National Park. John Kees/Wikimedia Commons.
