An All Saints' Day Prayer for the Great Cloud of Witnesses

God of every generation,
today I thank You for those who believed before me.

For Abraham, who set out not knowing where he was going.
For the apostles, who told the good news with their lives.
For the martyrs, who would not let go of You.
For countless faithful people whose names are long forgotten,
but never by You.

And for the ones I knew myself:
the ones who prayed for me before I could pray,
the ones who first told me about Jesus,
the ones whose quiet faith showed me what faith looks like.

They ran their race, and they finished it.
Now it is my turn to run.
Some days I'm out of breath.
Let their faithfulness spur me on,
and keep my eyes on Jesus,
who ran the race ahead of us all.

In His name, Amen.

When to Pray This

Pray this on All Saints' Day, November 1, or on the Sunday nearest to it. It is a good prayer to say while you look at an old photograph, or remember someone who first taught you to pray.

A Verse to Hold On To

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us." — Hebrews 12:1 (BSB)