Racial Justice Prayers of Healing
Prayers Based on Isaiah 58:12
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations
of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.
Merciful God, it is with all humility, adoration, and thanksgiving that we seek you.
Forgive us for missing the mark with our words, actions, and thoughts, creating a fissure between our practice and persona. We are grateful you show up throughout generations as Jehovah Rapa, who exist to restore and heal.
We confess our minds are sometimes divided and often disconnected from our emotions, which prevents us from loving each other. Please help us sincerely and genuinely open our hearts so we can become your instruments of healing and repair. Let not our time of prayer and abstaining continue only to benefit ourselves but give us the wisdom and strength to remain resilient, trusting you as we engage in the sacred work of racial justice. Show us how to dismantle systems of oppression with truthfulness and compassion. The Ghanese ancestors remind us that returning and restoring valuable disciplines are good. Keep us with the posture of prayer as we make ourselves available for you to repair the breach.
Praises and Amen.
Rev. Dr. Troy Carr
Ordained Elder in PNWC
GCORR Staff Member
Washington D.C. Area
God of all races, of all colors
Once again, I find myself here, close to you,
Asking you once again to listen to me.
You advise me even when I look for you in the midst of my pain
Even when I walk, and I don't know how to walk and heal.
Help me then to find love in your maternal breast,
The support to follow, help me to do this so brave it's called healing
Help me not to turn my pain into anger but into comprehension,
I understand that your love is the pattern that guides me on this path.
Help me then, to be brave to take this step.
Be my guide, my peace, and my roots on earth
So that I can flourish even after all my pain
Help me grow to not be like before but then, to be who I should be for you, for me and others.
Thank you for always being my companion and loving me as a mother who her children.
Amen
Keren Rodriguez
Aloha United Methodist Church
Oregon Idaho Conference of the UMC
Holy and redeeming God, today I pray for your healing touch on our lives. We are broken people in need of your restoration. Show us your mercy and let us be relieved of all our fears, anxieties, and stress. Let us be strengthened to continue to seek justice and mercy in the kin-dom. Continue to journey with me as I seek to fulfill your promise of hope daily. We can endure anything together because you are the ultimate healer and restorer of my soul.
In God’s almighty and redeeming name. Amen.
Bethany Amey Sutton
Director of Operations- Arch Street UMC & The Center- Philadelphia
Mt. Ephraim, New Jersey
Mother God,
As I continue to journey through this time of reflection and prayer, Holy Spirit, come and disorient me. Let me see the many ways I have contributed to the oppression of others, let me see the many ways I act differently from what I proclaim, and above all let me see when my heart is placed on anything else besides my siblings’ wellbeing; heal my blindness. As I hear Isaiah’s scripture from Jesus’ lips, may I recognize my own calling, as Christ follower, to share into Jesus’ mission statement and claim it as my own. So that, wherever I stand, I remain faithful to you – even when its inconvenient. As I join with others in being the [present] Body of Christ in the world proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor to all. Amen.
Rev. Cassy Nunez
Lead Pastor at Salem-Baltimore UMC
Baltimore, Maryland
This series of prayers was originally part of our Racial Justice Prayer & Action Challenge which took place in summer 2022.
To learn more about the Racial Justice Prayer & Action Challenge and read the other prayers, click here.
God of life, healing, and wholeness. We come before thy throne of grace asking for your mercy. We are fragmented and broken. In our distress, comfort us. In our pain, touch us. In our weakness, strengthen us. Bind our wounds with your loving touch.
You are our healer. You are our rock. In you, we put our trust. In you, we have the assurance of mercy and blessing. Restore our health. Renew our strength. Quiet our mind. Help us to be still and know that You are God. We thank you for the gifts of life, power, and love. Invigorate us with the joy of your salvation as we journey into healing and wholeness.
Amen.
Rev. Dr. Connie Mella, Th.D
Union Theological Seminary
Philippines
Gracious and Loving Jehovah Rapha, You are the great healer; the One who can renew all things. You sent Jesus to teach us that healing is not only possible, but what we should expect, even when it seems impossible. In our land, there are so many inequities brought about by racial injustice. Without knowing it, too often, we are a part of the problem. Help us to see when we sin against our neighbors and you by the implicit bias we hold, by our failure to speak when we should; when we choose to do nothing when we should act. Convict us of our sin and lead us in new ways of thinking, new ways of being, and new ways of acting.
On my own, I don’t even know where to start Lord, but I must start. Guide my thoughts, my words, and my actions when I see those injustices. Give me strength to be used by you to stand in the breach where healing is needed. Give me understanding so I can be used as an instrument of your divine healing. I cannot do this on my own, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can make all things new.
Lord, we pray for healing, your perfect will to be done here in our land and throughout the world. And we will give you all the praise, all the glory, and all the thanks to you in the name of your Son, Jesus.
Amen.
Rev. Debbie Hills
Chairperson, Disability Ministries Committee of the UMC
West Springfield
Many quotes from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King are used in this prayer.
You are a God who desires well-being and wholeness for every person, yet we know of the divisions and injustices we face today.
There are too many divisions to name today, O God, as we divide ourselves by voting bloc, belief, creed, and race. We place barriers between us which divide and wall off. Heal us of our divisions, help us to see as your servant Dr. King did, that, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."
Break down the walls of division, O God, and heal your people.
There is too much injustice to name today, O God, as we see that not all people have equal access to three meals per day, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. Heal of us this injustice, help us to see as your preacher Dr. King did, that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere and that we will have the audacity to believe in the healing power of justice.
God of justice, heal your people.
There is too much violence to name today, O God, as we hear too often of shootings on our streets, families who grieve loved ones and friends, and the rumors of war overseas in Europe. Heal us of this violence, along with Dr. King, help us to "refuse to accept the view that humanity is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality." Help us to be people of peace, non-violence, and love, so that your healing may come to our streets, our nation, and our world.
God of peace, heal your people.
There are too many attacks on our educational system, O God, as we hear of legislation that will foster a climate of frustration and fear among teachers and parents. As Dr. King said, "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically." Heal our schools, God, heal your people.
There are too many elected leaders who do not seek equality for all, who do not use funds to support the community and house the houseless, support those in need, and communities that are disadvantaged. Yet we know, as Dr. King preached that "power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love." Bring healing to our government, to our legislative process, and to those in positions of power.
God of us all, heal your people.
God who breaks down the walls. God of justice. God of peace. God of love. God of us all, heal your people, we pray.
Amen.
Rev. Matt Landry
Senior Pastor of Castleton UMC
Indianapolis, Indiana
