National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding

Today is the 5th annual National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding.

Here are two beautiful prayers written by Margaret Ann Holt, UMC, recommended by NAMI.

O, God, we gather here together today, as people from many different faith communities.
We come before You, remembering all those persons whose lives have been touched by mental illnesses.
We give thanks for those persons here who have given of their time and talents to do what they are able to help persons who are dealing with mental illnesses in their lives and in the lives of their families and friends.
We give thanks for the improvement in medication and treatment programs that have enabled persons with mental illnesses to live productive lives.
We pray that our society would do everything possible to make early diagnosis and treatment a standard operating procedure.
We pray and ask that stigma be removed, so that persons and their families would get the appropriate help as soon as symptoms appear.
Guide each one of us, and help us, as we endeavor to bring help and hope to those families and individuals. Amen

Read in unison:

The faith community says to those people who suffer from the symptoms of mental illness, and to their family members:

We will walk with you. And God walks with you. You will not go through this alone.

Pray in unison:

O Lord, you have searched us and known us

You know when we sit down and when we rise up,

and know our innermost thoughts.

You search out our paths and know all our ways.

Before we speak, you know our words.

When we were knit together in our mother's womb

You knew us as woman, as child, as man.

Wherever we go, Your hand will lead us.

So guide us along the pathways to hope,

that night becomes bright as day.

So lead us on our walk together,

that darkness is lifted from our hearts.

So encourage us that our sisters and brothers

Who have mental illness shall know that

they never walk alone.

Amen