Iowa Interfaith Power & Light - Meditation & Prayer

Spiritual Resources - Meditation & Prayer

Earth Prayers by Jennie Frost Butler

Infinite Spirit, when I pray each day
for shelter for the homeless,
let me not ignore the pet without a home;

As I ask for protection for those in areas
of turmoil and unrest,
let me not forget endangered species of life;

When I pray that the hungry be fed,
let me be mindful
that all God’s creatures have need of sustenance;

As I ask Divine assistance for those afflicted
by fire, flood, earthquake, storm or drought,
let me remember that this includes every living thing;

In seeking miracle cures for human disease,
may I also speak for the well-being of the planet itself.
Let the words of my mouth,
the meditations of my heart
and the actions of my life be as one,
that I may live each day in harmony
With Mother Earth. Amen.

Rumi

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

Islamic Peace Prayer

We think of Thee, worship Thee, bow to Thee as the Creator of this Universe; we seek refuge in Thee, the Truth, our only support. Thou art the Ruler, the barge in this ocean of endless births and deaths. In the name of Allah, the beneficient, the merciful. Praise be to the Lord of the Universe who has created us and made us into tribes and nations. Give us wisdom that we may know each other and not despise all things. We shall abide by thy Peace. And, we shall remember the servants of God are those who walk on this earth in humility and, when we address them, we shall say Peace Unto Us All.

Hindu Peace Prayer

I desire neither earthly kingdom, nor even freedom from birth and death. I desire only the deliverance from grief of all those afflicted by misery. Oh Lord, lead us from the unreal to the real; from darkness to light; from death to immortality. May there be peace in celestial regions. May there be peace on earth. May the waters be appeasing. May herbs be wholesome and may trees and plants bring peace to all. May all beneficient beings bring peace to us. May thy wisdom spread peace all through the world. May all things be a source of peace to all and to me. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti (Peace, Peace, Peace).

Prayer of Confession by Presian Burroughs

Creator God, You who are Holy Trinity,
By your spoken Word you created all that is seen and unseen.
That Word is Jesus Christ, through whom and for whom you created this and all worlds.
We thank you for making creation astounding with complexity and variety
And for calling it very good.

We praise you for entrusting us with so great a responsibility, that of caring for creation.
We acknowledge our dependence on your world—
The air we breathe
The water we drink
The food we eat.

We confess our polluting influence we so often have on your world—
The air we breathe
The water we drink
The land we farm.

Open our eyes, O gracious Creator, to see the destruction we cause by our careless consumption.
Open our ears, O merciful God, to hear the groaning of all creation and the cries of those without voice.
Open our hearts, O compassionate Lover, to feel remorse for our unfaithful care of your creation.

And so, enable us to change our ways.
Give us a vision of faithful living on this great globe.
Empower us to make both the simple and complex changes you desire for us. Amen.

Celtic Peace Prayer from Antiquity

Deep Peace of the running wave to you
Deep Peace of the flowing air to you
Deep Peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep Peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the shades of night to you
Moon and stars always giving Light to you.

Additional prayers can be found at www.earthministry.org.