Material for praying with more than good intentions

How to pray for a community you have never visited

Supporters often tell us they want to pray but feel they know too little to do it meaningfully. Four things help.

Pray for named people rather than categories

“The poor” is very difficult to hold in mind and easy to pray about without feeling much. A water committee treasurer, a teacher with forty-eight pupils, a widow securing her late husband’s land — these are prayable. Our prayer wall exists to give you specifics.

Pray about the particular obstacle

Rain arriving in the planting window and not after it. A spare part reaching a broken pump. A mediation meeting where both parties actually turn up. A clinic referral that gets there in time.

Pray for local leaders, by role

Pastors, committee chairs, health volunteers and head teachers carry an enormous amount with very little support and often in real isolation. Pray for their endurance, their families and their integrity — particularly when they are handling money in a community that is watching.

Pray for us, including our failures

We site things badly, move too fast, and occasionally mistake our preferences for a community’s priorities. Pray that we notice sooner, say so plainly, and remain the kind of organisation our partners feel safe correcting.