September 21, 2025
Welcome to the first edition of Praying the News!
Glad you’re here. Our goal is to make a habit of trading anxiety for faith as we read the headlines.
Would you take this two-question survey after reading to let us know how we can serve you better?
Happy Sunday,
Constant headlines about spiraling violence and division had me longing for a better world this week—and thankful for the promises of Scripture. Listen to how the prophet Isaiah describes the world that’s coming:
“‘For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind…
[My people] shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be…
Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent's food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,’
says the Lord.”
Isaiah 65:17-25 (ESV)
In the new heavens and new earth, the Lord is undoing the curses of the exile. God’s people were facing the exact consequences for disobedience He’d promised… and now, in the thick of their darkest days, He’s speaking promises of reversal and restoration.
The past two weeks have been a terrible page in America’s story. It may change the course of the nation. But it does not change the trajectory of believers’ stories, which have been written with a happy ending from the beginning of time. God will unmake evil and reign in perfect peace.
Pray with me as you wait on Him:
God of mercy,
We cling to you through grief and contention,
through uncertainty and fear.
Quiet the suspicions that estrange and divide us from our neighbors.
Still our hasty, harsh tongues.
Open our ears, soften our hearts, and make ready our feet.
Spin our pointing fingers,
convicting us of the darkness that runs through each of us.
God of comfort,
work renewal in us and in our communities.
We crave your presence—
so near that you answer before we can call
and provide before we can ask.
We crave your peace—
the day when the staunchest Republican and the most devoted Democrat
will live in unshakeable friendship and permanent harmony.
While we wait for your eternal kingdom,
make us winsome ambassadors.
Unite your Church in our outposts,
so that our radical love turns your enemies’ eyes to your Son,
in whose name we pray.
Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Steph Juliot
Prayer Requests Dropbox
How can we pray for you? Click here to leave us a prayer request. Our staff will pray for each one.
Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.