3 Min Read
Starting to pray for justice can feel like a challenging process. Here are three simple suggestions to get started:
Start by asking God how you can pray for the issue you’re concerned about, The Lord’s Prayer has a simple, effective framework to inform your prayers:
“Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name”
Begin with worship. Jesus is Lord, even in areas of injustice.
“Your kingdom come, Your Will be Done”
What does God’s kingdom look like? How could His rule and reign change the lives of those who have been affected by injustice?
“Give us today our daily bread”
What are the practical needs you see that need to be addressed?
“Forgive Us our sins”
Who are the sinners and sinned against? What responsibility do we have to say sorry or to forgive? Pray for outbreaks of mercy.
We have hope. God can – and does – change the world. Even the greatest injustice can be overcome by the power of prayer. God can make a difference, and often chooses to act through our prayer and action.
Ask the Lord for the gift of faith to see, pray and act for the redemption of the situation you’re concerned about.
We need to keep persisting in prayer even when nothing seems to be changing. There are many examples in the Bible and throughout Church history of major breakthroughs that required faithfulness through years of prayer.
If you want to commit to praying until you see change, here are a few suggestions to help you:
Invite people to join you to pray together. You could also set up a justice-focused prayer room.
Write simple prayers from a passage like Isaiah 58, which focus on the issue of justice.
Go to a place connected with the issue you want to pray for, such as a homeless shelter, hospital or government building.
Gather a group of like-minded people: praying together is one of the best ways to keep going.
Some issues of injustice involve crime or danger – ensure that you don’t put yourself in danger while you pray.