On Earth Day each year, individuals come together to celebrate the planet while also advocating for its protection. People often reflect on ways they can care for and preserve the environment – such as by emphasizing recycling, renewable energy, cutting down on littering, or raising awareness about endangered species. Earth is where we live, so we should take care of it.
Although there is an unbiblical version of environmentalism that goes to the extreme of worshiping nature, caring for the earth is something that believers should recognize as important. God created the earth and everything in it (Genesis 1:1). And He made us stewards of this world, meaning we are accountable for how we use the resources He has entrusted to us.
Corruption and brokenness abound in the world. We see it in the loss of forests and species, the devastation of land after natural disasters, war-torn places, and in hurting people who have great physical and spiritual needs. We cannot turn away from these realities, thinking that working to address these concerns is unspiritual. When we consider the totality of the gospel, we discover a Savior who died and was raised again to bring forgiveness of sins and restoration to all creation. Our physical bodies will one day be raised, and the broken earth will be made new.
Believers can work now in anticipation of this renewal and pray for the earth – the people who populate our planet and the environments in which they live. The following prayers give us a place to start in our intercession.
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Our Lord loves righteousness and justice (Psalm 33:5). In His very character, He is a holy and just God who despises all evil and oppression. He is grieved when people oppress the poor (Proverbs 14:31), mistreat animals (Proverbs 12:10), and harm the land. When the Israelites were entering the Promised Land, the Lord told them not to cut down the trees during their sieges (Deuteronomy 20:19). If the natural world had no value in the Creator’s eyes, then why would He give such an instruction?
As Christians, we should be striving for justice (Micah 6:8). Many of us know of the need to speak up for the weak, oppressed, and poor. Tied in with this, though, is a need to work toward climate justice since it is not just about the environment. Pollution and loss of resources negatively impact those in need, which is something the church should care about. Our desire to act justly as the Lord calls us to involves advocating for the voiceless and powerless and caring for the natural world.
The best place to begin our work toward justice is to pray to our holy and loving Lord.
O God of all creation,
We come before You today with a keen awareness of Your justice and holiness. Stir within us a desire to pursue righteousness and to care for others. Help us understand that our love for You is reflected in how we treat people and the world around us. May we be agents of hope and justice in this broken world. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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The salvation that Jesus came to give impacts all things. The death that Adam brought into the world is replaced with the gift of eternal life (Romans 5:15), and creation, which has been groaning ever since Adam’s fall, is patiently awaiting the day of renewal (Romans 8:22). One day, the broken earth we live in will be healed.
Even now, God calls us to bring healing where there is brokenness, both in the lives of individuals and in the natural world. Often, these go together. For instance, in The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom described the house that she set up after the war to give suffering people a place to heal from the horrors they had experienced. One of the ways God accomplished this was through gardening. As Corrie wrote, “As flowers bloomed or vegetables ripened, talk was less of the bitter past, more of tomorrow’s weather” (Bantam Book, 1974, p. 237). The land was restored, but so were the lives of individuals.
The reversal of the curse will not occur until Jesus’s return. However, we can work toward bringing hope and healing through restorative efforts in nature, which often have a positive impact on people. As we do, we can speak about Jesus, the One whose wounds brought our healing (1 Peter 2:24).
Savior,
We long for the day You make all things new. The effects of sin in Your good creation are seen everywhere and in everything. We know that You will bring healing at Your return, but even now You are the Lord with healing in Your scarred hands. May our efforts in stewarding the earth point people to the hope that is found in You.
Amen.
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When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, He put them there to cultivate it (Genesis 2:15). The image of tending a garden gives us an example of what it means to be a steward. We are told the garden was not theirs but was planted by the Lord (Genesis 2:8). Adam and Eve were meant to care for a place that belonged to God.
After the fall, this became much more difficult. No longer did they live in Eden (Genesis 3:23). Now, toil, sweat, thistles, and thorns would impact their work (Genesis 3:18-19). The instruction to have dominion over the earth, though, continued to apply. Throughout Scripture, we see an emphasis on care for creation – such as letting the ground rest and including animals in observing the Sabbath (Exodus 23:11; Leviticus 25:4; Deuteronomy 5:14). How we use and care for the world around us reveals what we believe about the Lord.
As believers, we are meant to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. This applies to our possessions, relationships, and finances but also to how we interact with the environment. Our goal should be to honor the Lord through how we steward the natural world and its resources.
Father,
We can too easily misuse creation and ignore our impact on it, O Lord. But you deserve to be glorified in how you live. Help us to wisely consider our daily choices, whether in buying food, planting gardens, or using fuel. Let us remember that our actions impact others. We want to act in love for You and others in the way we use what You have entrusted to us. Enable us to be good and faithful stewards. In Jesus’ name, I pray.
Amen.
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So much pain and suffering exist in the world. Wars tear through communities and countries. Widespread crop loss causes famine. People are caught in slavery, poverty, and hopelessness. With these realities, peace on earth seems like a far-fetched dream at best.
Yet, when Jesus entered the world as a vulnerable baby, the angels declared peace on earth and goodwill to men (Luke 2:14). The Savior had arrived. He would take away the sins of the world, promising His peace to all who believed – reconciliation with the Father (Romans 5:1), but also peace during times of trouble (John 14:27). For Jesus is the Prince of Peace that the prophet of old spoke about (Isaiah 9:6).
Of course, following Jesus often causes unrest. Christ warned that ultimate allegiance to Him would turn families against each other (Matthew 10:34-36). We see this at work when individuals turn to Jesus in unreached areas, and families feel betrayed so that they start persecuting the believers. However, the peace that was purchased through the cross transforms the individual, which also begins to impact their families and communities. Christians strive for love and peace even amid intense hatred.
Lord,
There is so much suffering in the world, which You know more about than anyone. That is the reason You took on human flesh to dwell with us on earth. You are the answer to all the pain in the world, bringing hope where there is dread, love where there is hate, new life where there is barrenness, and peace where there is discord. We pray for Your peace to spread in this dark world. Help us to be peacemakers, remembering that You blessed that role.
Amen.
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Although there is great suffering in the world, there is also evidence of God’s grace. The earth contains wild and wonderous beauty in the form of budding trees, towering mountains, sunsets, and animals of varying shapes and sizes. Scripture tells us that these breathtaking realities testify to God’s existence (Romans 1:20). Similarly, the simple pleasures in life demonstrate the goodness and grace of our Lord. As Paul told the people in Lystra, “[God] has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy” (Acts 14:17, NIV). Theologians often refer to this reality as common grace.
The Apostle Paul sought to use these areas of common grace as points with which to share the gospel. At another time, in Athens, he discussed how God provided these kindnesses so that people would seek Him and know Him (Acts 17:26-27). Using this as a starting point, the Apostle spoke about Jesus’s resurrection (Acts 17:31). Common grace naturally led to talking about salvation.
Earth and beyond are filled with evidence of a Creator who loves us. If people paused to notice His grace in the world around them, they would seek Him out. And they would discover the truth that God the Son came to earth to save us from sin and give us a relationship with Him that lasts for eternity. In Him, we find the desire of our hearts.
Gracious and loving Lord,
The whole earth is filled with Your glory. We see evidence of Your creativity all around us – in the intricate veins on a leaf, the flight of a bird, the dainty loveliness of wildflowers. These physical parts of the world remind us of Your goodness. Our prayer is for more people around the world to look around and notice that You are the Creator and Savior who loves them and died for them. Create within them a desire to know You so that they seek You and hear the good news. For we look forward to the day we will worship You with people from across the globe. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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