Prayer Requests
If you have any prayer requests, for any concerns lying on your heart or to give thanks, please email the office on office@downsbenefice.org.uk
All prayer requests will be made anonymous before being passed on to our Prayer Team.
Prayer for Wednesday 7th October
Almighty and everlasting God,
increase in us your gift of faith
that, forsaking what lies behind
and reaching out to that which is before,
we may run the way of your commandments
and win the crown of everlasting joy;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Prayer for the Week
The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
Prayers for Our Times
Ever-loving God,
who hears us in our anguish and distress,
and longs for us to be free.
We pray for the people of Iran and the wider Middle East,
at this time of fear and uncertainty.
Be near to those who are anxious;
bring comfort to all who are suffering.
Guide those with the power to make decisions,
and lead them in the ways of wisdom, compassion and moderation:
that people of goodwill would seek harmony and reconciliation.
Join us with our Christian brothers and sisters in all places,
in praying for peace with justice,
through him who is the prince of peace,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A prayer by the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford
Prayer from the Archbishop of Canterbury for those affected by the flash floods in Nepal and Tibet
The Most Revd Hosam Naoum, Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem and Primate of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, has today (28th February 2026) shared a pastoral letter following on from the news of the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
READ IT HERE
... for the Middle East
O God of all justice and peace, we cry out to you in the midst of the pain and trauma of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land. Be with those who need you in these days of suffering; we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land. Amen.
Father God, We cry out to you on behalf of the people seriously affected by the conflict in the Middle East. Our hearts break at the devastation and suffering that we see, and we know it breaks yours, too. We ask that you would stretch out your mighty hand to bring an end to this war. We cry out for people who have been injured or traumatised, who have lost loved ones or their homes. Please provide everything they need and be their comfort, their hope, their healer, and their safe refuge. We pray for your peace to reign. We look to you as our Saviour and the hope of the world. Amen
... for Ukraine.
Loving God, we pray for the people of Ukraine, for all those suffering or afraid, that you will be close to them and protect them. We pray for world leaders, for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices. We pray for the world, that in this moment of crisis, we may reach out in solidarity to our brothers and sisters in need. May we walk in your ways so that peace and justice become a reality for the people of Ukraine and for all the world. Amen.
... during international unrest
Almighty Father, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of all: govern the hearts and minds of those in authority, and bring the families of the nations, divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin, to be subject to his just and gentle rule; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
... in troubled times
God of love, turn our hearts to your ways; and give us peace. Amen.
... for peace and safety amid unrest
O God, who would fold both heaven and earth in a single peace: let the design of thy great love lighten upon the waste of our wraths and sorrows: and give peace to thy Church, peace among nations, peace in our dwellings, and peace in our hearts: through thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
... for justice
Living God, deliver us from a world without justice and a future without mercy; in your mercy, establish justice, and in your justice, remember the mercy revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
... for refugees
O God, please hear our prayer for all refugees everywhere, that we amidst plenty, in comfortable homes, where it is safe to go out, may open our borders, open our hearts, and open our homes to all those, everywhere, fleeing violence, persecution, terror, and loss. Amen
... for the world
God, our refuge and strength, bring near the day when wars shall cease and poverty and pain shall end, that earth may know the peace of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy. Sustain and support the anxious, be with those who care for the sick, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may find comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
... for our planet
O God, please hear our prayer that we may avert climate change. Send down your Holy Spirit into the hearts and minds of our engineers, our scientists, our politicians, those who guid public opinion, and those who bank and invest money on our behalf that, together, we may step back from the brink and stop spoiling this beautiful world over which you have made us stewards. Amen
... at a time of despair
Restless with grief and fear, the abandoned turn to you: in every hour of trial, good Lord, deliver us, O God most holy, God most strong,
whose wisdom is the cross of Christ. Amen.