Praying about

Children
L O R DJ E S US , you proclaimed your concern for the small and the weak, and were
especially clear in your concern for children.

Their very nature is fragile, and because they are vulnerable they are eaprey for people who
exploit them.

And so we pray to you, O Lord:

For the children who are forced to work from their earliest years in cruel conditions.
For the children press-ganged into armies and trained in violence and cruelty.
For the children abandoned and left to live in the streets hunting for food and shelter.
For the children sexually exploited by perverted and ruthless people.
For the children accused of possession by demons, or sorcery, who are blamed for every
wrong and subjected to cruel punishment.
For the children with mental or physical disabilities who are abandoned, depicted as sexual
objects, or tormented because of their weakness.
For the children who are undernourished or have no medicine, and so cannot grow up
normally.
For the children who commit crimes and are kept in prisons in degrading conditions, with
no chance to learn better.

PA G E 1 O F 5
 Lord, you once said: “Let the children come to me. Do not stop them, for the kingdom of
God is for those who are like them.”
Hear our prayer and give all children throughout the world the joy of life and hope for a
better future. Amen.

— The International Federation of ACAT

DE A R GO D,
All through the Bible: through the words of the prophets, through your laws and
commandments, through Jesus’ life and teachings, we see how you care about the poor,
and the value you place on the downtrodden and vulnerable. We pray for the millions of
children trapped in child labor around the world.

We know that you know each one of them by name. We know you love them. Help us to
see them with your eyes, and love them with your heart — a heart that must be broken by
the ugly reality of how your children are treated.
“We know Strengthen and inspire us to move forward in our journey of justice for these little
ones. Help us to see the role we can play in encouraging alternatives for families and
that you communities. Thank you for how much you care. Help us care. Help us act.

know each Amen

one of them — World Vision Canada

by name. We
W E P R AY F O R C HILDR EN
know you who sneak popsicles before supper,
who erase holes in math workbooks,
love them.” who can never find their shoes.
And we pray for those
who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who can’t bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never “counted potatoes,”
who are born in places we wouldn’t be caught dead,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world.

We pray for children

who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money.
And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can’t find any bread to steal,

PA G E 2 O F 5
 who don’t have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren’t on anybody’s dresser,
whose monsters are real.
We pray for children
who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick
at their food,
who like ghost stories,
who shove dirty clothes under the bed, and never rinse out the tub,
who get visits from the tooth fairy,
who don’t like to be kissed in front of the carpool,
who squirm in worship and scream in the phone,
whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry.
And we pray for those
whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
“For children who have never seen a dentist,
who aren’t spoiled by anybody,
who are who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move, but have no being.
disabled in We pray for children who want to be carried

mind or body, and for those who must,

for those we never give up on and for those who
don’t get a second chance,
In your tender for those we smother and for those who will grab
the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.
mercy, provide
— Ina J. Hughes
them food,
O God.”
L ITA NY F O R T HE C HILDR EN

Defender of the oppressed and the orphan, we pray for all children in our nation and our
world who suffer from poverty, injustice, and fear.
Hear the cries of your children, O God.

For children who are runaways, homeless, in institutions or jails,

In your tender mercy, encourage and strengthen them, O God.

For children who are disabled in mind or body,

In your tender mercy, provide them food, O God.

For babies born at risk, for children who are sick, and for those who lack proper health
care, especially pregnant teenagers,
In your tender mercy, help and sustain them, O God.

PA G E 3 O F 5
 For children who are victims of race or class discrimination, poor education, drug or
alcohol abuse, and hopelessness,
In your tender mercy, grant them lives of hope and a future, O God.

For children who daily experience the fear and pain of war and civil strife,
In your tender mercy, defend and protect them, O God.

— Imaging the Word

O L O R D, Father of all children,

Watch over your little ones
Who are poor and abandoned…
They cry, for they hunger for food,
For the cold chills their bones,
For their bodies suffer with disease,
“Lord, grant For they never know the tenderness of love.
Lord, grant that these little ones come to you!
that these little Warm their tender hearts,
Gather them under your wings,
ones come to That they may feel the care of your heart
And ever enjoy your kindness as their Father.

you! Warm — Xaverian Missionary Society, Burundi

their tender
hearts, Gather
them under
your wings...”

PA G E 4 O F 5
 About World Vision
W O R L D V IS IO N is a Christian humanitarian organization
dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities
worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of
poverty and injustice. Motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ, World
Vision serves alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of
God’s unconditional love for all people. We see a world where each
child experiences “fullness of life” as described in John 10:10. And we
know this can be achieved only by addressing the problems of poverty
and injustice in a holistic way. That’s how World Vision is unique:
We bring 60 years of experience in three key areas needed to help
children and families thrive: emergency relief, long-term development,
and advocacy. And we bring all of our skills across many areas of
expertise to each community we work in, enabling us to care for
children’s physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Partnering with World Vision provides tangible ways to honor

God and put faith into action. By working, we can make a lasting
difference in the lives of children and families who are struggling to
overcome poverty. To find out more about how you can help, visit
www.worldvision.org.

About World Vision Resources

E NDING GL O B A L PO V ERT Y and injustice begins with education:
understanding the magnitude and causes of poverty, its impact on
human dignity, and our connection to those in need around the world.

World Vision Resources is the publishing ministry of World Vision.

World Vision Resources educates Christians about global poverty,
inspires them to respond, and equips them with innovative resources
to make a difference in the world.

For more information about our

resources, contact:
World Vision Resources
Mail Stop 321
P.O. Box 9716
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716
Fax: 253-815-3340
wvresources@worldvision.org
www.worldvisionresources.com

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