National Week of Prayer: September 6 – 14

As the body of Christ, we are gathering across the UK from 6 to 14 September 2025 to pray.

Will you join in and add your prayers for older people?

Praying for older people during this week (and every week!) matters because they are a precious part of our communities, carrying wisdom, faith, and experience, yet often facing loneliness, frailty, or exclusion; through prayer we honour them and invite God’s blessing and saving power into their lives.

Whether your Church or organisation is hosting a prayer event, you’re pitching up at someone else’s event, or leading prayers in your church service or small group, please will you ensure that older people are prayed for?

We encourage you to pray as the Holy Spirit leads, but if you value some pointers to get you going, please see below for some prayers around the NWP’s themes of Gather, Remember, and Return:

Gather

Prayer focus: Community, belonging, ending isolation.
Verse: “God sets the lonely in families.” – Psalm 68:6

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the gift of community and the joy of belonging. We pray for older people who may feel alone or isolated – may they find welcome in our homes, churches, and neighbourhoods. Gather them into circles of friendship and purpose, where their voices are heard, their stories valued, and their lives cherished. Help us to be attentive and compassionate to those in need of God’s family.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Remember

Prayer focus: Honouring lives, cherishing memories, caring for those with fading memory.
Verse: “Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you.” – Isaiah 46:4

Faithful God,
We give thanks for the lives, memories, and wisdom of older people. We remember with gratitude their contributions to families, communities, and the church. We pray for those whose memories are fading, asking for your comfort and peace in challenging times. May we honour those who came before us, learning from their resilience and faith. Teach us to remember with tenderness, to listen with patience, and to celebrate the richness of every life.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Return

Prayer focus: Renewal of faith, return to God, rediscovering purpose and care.
Verse: “Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. – Malachi 3:7

Gracious God,
We lift before you all older people who long for a renewed sense of purpose, belonging, and faith. Where people feel forgotten, help us return to them with love. Where hearts have grown distant from you, draw them back into your embrace. And where people have never turned to you, help them to take a step of faith today.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Find out more about the National Week of Prayer, including a downloadable guide for churches, here on their website.