2022 has been a year of an unparalleled global food crisis. According to the World Food Program, as many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night. The number of those facing severe food insecurity continues to rise as countries teeter on the brink of famine. And for people already living in poverty, the crisis only further exacerbates the harrowing effects of poverty.

The facts and data can be overwhelming, and the needs continue to grow daily. Nevertheless, we know that God is not surprised or overwhelmed by all that is happening. He always has a plan to bring His goodness and faithfulness to the weary.

And we are all part of that plan.

Girl from Bolivia wears a red scarf and opens her hands to the sky in prayer

From the intercessors who will pray until His will is done to the local churches responding to desperate spiritual and physical needs and leaders through whom God will fulfill His word – we are all part of God’s plan.

So, as believers, we don’t need to let our hearts be troubled by all that we see and hear. Instead, we can let our hearts overflow with the word of God, which ignites hope and strengthens our faith. Let us pray with unwavering faith that people, resources, and circumstances will begin to work together in alignment with the will of God to bring help and restoration to families and nations affected by food insecurity.

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Will you pray with us?

Boy from Ecuador sits cross-legged on his bed holding a stuffed animal.

1. Pray for divine provision for the hungry

• That God would provide what they need and sustain them from day to day; that He would give them each day their daily bread (Matthew 6:11).

• That as God has promised, the ground will yield its crops in season and there will be a great harvest and abundance in nations across the world (Leviticus 19:9-10)

• That the Lord will give His people rest and bring them into a good land without scarcity and lack (Deuteronomy 8:9).

 

2. Pray for the protection of children and families

• For children and families who are hungry and weary; that they would be reminded that neither distress nor famine would be able to separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:35).

• For children who are now even more vulnerable to the ills of poverty, such as child labour, gang violence, child marriage, and drug use; that the Lord will save and preserve them from evil (Isaiah 49:25).

• That even through this hardship, God would send His people to children and families to proclaim the good news and that countless of them will be saved and taught of the Lord (Isaiah 54:13).

 

3. Pray for wisdom and direction for leaders and authorities

• For leaders and people in authority in these nations. Just as the Lord filled Joseph with wisdom on how to handle the food crisis in Egypt, may He fill them with His wisdom and direction (Genesis 41:48–49).

• That as God did with Daniel, He would give people and nations the skills, gifts and discipline to manage and distribute resources wisely (Daniel 1:17).

 

4. Pray for the Body of Christ

• That the love of God would burn in the hearts of His people to help those in a time of food shortage (1 John 3:17).

• That as Jesus charged His disciples to respond to the hunger of the 5,000, we may also rise and become His Hands and feet, providing for as many as we can (Matthew 14:16).

• That we would link arms as the Body of Christ and intercede in prayer for our world. That God would have mercy where there’s ignorance and division – and that we would all live in godliness, dignity and unity (1 Timothy 2:2).

 

5. Pray for restoration and peace

• That love, righteousness, justice and compassion will reign in nations and that the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the fresh oil (Hosea 2:18-22).

• That there will be peace in war-torn lands where there is food insecurity and that God would enable His people to rest securely (Leviticus 26:6).

A mother from Thailand holds her teenage sons hands as they pray together seated on the floor with a bible open in front.

Compassion continues to work tirelessly in countries facing the extremes of the global food crisis. Children living in poverty are always most vulnerable to mounting food crises, but nevertheless, Compassion’s local church partners remain committed to facing these daunting circumstances with the conviction that no child or family should have to live without access to their basic needs. We stand in faith, and we trust God to provide.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

-Romans 15:13

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Rayo Adegoke

Rayo Adegoke

Rayo Adegoke is a Content Specialist at Compassion Canada. She is deeply passionate about telling stories that testify of God's goodness. Between read alouds, sing alouds, cutting crusts off sandwiches and playing hide and seek with her daughter, she loves to bake with her husband.