Not Home. Come Home.

2025 Lenten Reflections

A PRAYER FOR

The Hungry

“My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” 

Isaiah 32:18

Illustration by Eunice Sunmie Derksen

Grappling with homelessness can feel overwhelming. Where do you begin when so many difficulties converge in one societal issue: home insecurity?

You begin in prayer.

Today's prayer is designed to bring an awareness to our hearts and minds of the particular struggles of people who are living rough, especially those facing food and home insecurity. As you pray these words, enter into God's heart for those without a home, praying that He might shelter them under his loving wings.

PRAYER


Prayers for Our Friends Facing Hunger and Homelessness


Heavenly Father, You see every person who struggles to find their next meal. You know their names, their stories, their hopes, and their fears. Open our hearts to see them not as statistics but as our neighbors, our friends, our family. Help us to see with your gaze upon those who long for meals that nourish and delight, but whose physical energy wanes with little or poor quality food. In Jesus’ name, we pray.Amen.
 


Prayer for Those Who Are Hungry


Lord Jesus, You sat at tables with the poor and the outcast, offering them dignity and belonging. Today, we lift up those who go to bed hungry, who ration food so their children can eat, who skip meals to make ends meet. Be near to them, Lord. Provide not just food but the comfort of knowing they are not forgotten. Stir our hearts to share what we have, to extend kindness, and to advocate for a world where no one suffers hunger alone.Amen.
 


Prayer for Those on the Edge of Losing Their Home


Loving God, we pray for families making impossible choices—between food and rent, medicine and heat. We think of the single mother stretching her groceries for one more meal, the elderly man choosing between paying for medicine or dinner, the child who depends on school lunches to get through the day. Lord, sustain them. Surround them with support. Help us see them, not as strangers, but as our brothers and sisters, and give us creativity and courage to be near so we can stand with them.Amen.
 


Prayer for Justice and Compassion


God of abundance, You did not create a world of scarcity, but one of enough for all. Yet, too many are left struggling. Forgive us for the ways we turn away. Open our eyes to the injustices that keep people hungry. Teach us to be generous not just with our resources, but with our time, our voices, and our love. Let us not just feed the hungry today but work toward a world where everyone has enough, always.Amen.



Prayer for Hope and Restoration


Jesus, You promised a feast where all will be welcome, where no one will hunger again. But today, some wait in line at soup kitchens, some search for shelter on cold nights, and some feel invisible and unworthy. Remind them—and remind us—that they are deeply loved. Let our churches and communities be places of welcome, where tables are set for all, where relationships replace loneliness, and where hope is always on the menu.Amen.
 


Closing Blessing


May the God who feeds the sparrows and clothes the lilies remind us that every person, seen and unseen, is His beloved creation. May we share our tables, our homes, and our hearts with those in need, knowing that when we do, we are welcoming Christ Himself and we are making a home for him. In His name, we pray.Amen.

TAKE ACTION

Call to Connect: Do you work with those experiencing homelessness? 

A big part of what M25i does is learn from you, pray for you, and connect you with others doing similar work. Do you serve the homeless as a volunteer or professional? M25i offers virtual equipping and connecting events with others who "get it" and creates cross-pollinating opportunities of ministry practices and ideas. We look forward to connecting with you!