Prayer Against Poverty

Jesus, you said, “blessed are the poor in spirit.”

I 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, you said, “blessed are the peacemakers.”

I pray for the people and groups of people campaigning for change to harmful economic policies. May the call for just trade, an end to debt, and more and better aid echo across the world.

Jesus, you said, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”

I pray for the leaders and politicians with the power to change things, and especially for the decision makers in the church around the world. Help us 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. Grant that your church may, in this generation and all that are yet to come, be at the forefront of efforts to aid those in poverty, to ease their suffering, and to change systems and ways of thinking and acting that contribute to harmful and deadly cycles of poverty.

I ask all these things in your name, Jesus, my Lord and friend of the poor.

Amen.