There is no doubt that there are many emotions we are feeling these days. Feelings like sadness, fear, suffering, anxiety, wonder, frustration, anger and many more. We are sad because, Haiti, which has for years been suffering because of poverty, poor infrastructure, greed and corruption and sorrow, is now, again, afflicted by more tragedy. It is not fair to them.
We are angry because we say, “How can an all-good and all-loving God allow this travesty to occur? How can God let good people, innocent people, innocent children die?”
We are suffering because we have loved ones who are missing or dead, or we are suffering because we have friends who are mourning and saddened. Perhaps we are frustrated because we feel powerless: what can we do but stay here and perhaps offer our prayers and our donations, but how frustrating it is when we want to go and help and comfort the sorrowing and wipe the tears of the crying and help unearth those who are buried, only to be rebuffed in our effort, as, sadly, there is nothing we can do but pray and donate.
And we become anxious about many things: are my family members and my friends ok, especially if we have not heard from them? And we think, “Will Haiti ever recover, as she has already suffered so at the hands of the corrupt and the greedy, forced to live in poverty for so long. We might also think, what is to prevent tragedy and suffering from happening again?
Situations like these often tempt us to think in ways we ordinarily would not. Thoughts like, “God does not really love His people,” or “It was God’s way of punishing us,” or worst of all, we might think, “There is no God at all.”
Psalm 46 of the Old Testament reminds us of God as our protector in difficult times. The psalm reads:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains
Plunge into the sea;
Though its waters rage and foam and the mountains
Quake at its surging.
The Lord of Hosts is with us.
While we will never understand with our limited minds the infinite ways of God, we do know that God is not simply out there and away from us, but very much with us. He has a hand in our lives and now He inspires us to show love to our neighbors. Love through donations; love through efforts to physically help and love through our prayers for the mourning, saddened and the faithful departed.
And so we pray:
Blessed are you, Lord God of power and might. God who makes the earth quake and the wind blow and the seas rise, we bless and praise you for your presence in the world and in our lives, hear our prayers as we cry out to you in sadness and joy, in fear and in security, in sorrow and in hope.
We pray for our brothers and sisters who suffer, those who have died and those still who will die: raise them up to be with you forever in joy and happiness. For the missing, that they will still be found and rescued and returned to their families, even if it requires a miracle. For those who mourn, that because of the hope you give us, wipe every tear away and replace it with lasting memories of love and beauty.
Please help to never forget that you are with us always, and you are our hope, especially when all seems hopeless; that you are our rock when we are in need of strength; that you are our peace when there is turmoil; that you are our comfort when we are mourning and you are our joy, as all miracles and salvation come from you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
We are angry because we say, “How can an all-good and all-loving God allow this travesty to occur? How can God let good people, innocent people, innocent children die?”
We are suffering because we have loved ones who are missing or dead, or we are suffering because we have friends who are mourning and saddened. Perhaps we are frustrated because we feel powerless: what can we do but stay here and perhaps offer our prayers and our donations, but how frustrating it is when we want to go and help and comfort the sorrowing and wipe the tears of the crying and help unearth those who are buried, only to be rebuffed in our effort, as, sadly, there is nothing we can do but pray and donate.
And we become anxious about many things: are my family members and my friends ok, especially if we have not heard from them? And we think, “Will Haiti ever recover, as she has already suffered so at the hands of the corrupt and the greedy, forced to live in poverty for so long. We might also think, what is to prevent tragedy and suffering from happening again?
Situations like these often tempt us to think in ways we ordinarily would not. Thoughts like, “God does not really love His people,” or “It was God’s way of punishing us,” or worst of all, we might think, “There is no God at all.”
Psalm 46 of the Old Testament reminds us of God as our protector in difficult times. The psalm reads:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains
Plunge into the sea;
Though its waters rage and foam and the mountains
Quake at its surging.
The Lord of Hosts is with us.
While we will never understand with our limited minds the infinite ways of God, we do know that God is not simply out there and away from us, but very much with us. He has a hand in our lives and now He inspires us to show love to our neighbors. Love through donations; love through efforts to physically help and love through our prayers for the mourning, saddened and the faithful departed.
And so we pray:
Blessed are you, Lord God of power and might. God who makes the earth quake and the wind blow and the seas rise, we bless and praise you for your presence in the world and in our lives, hear our prayers as we cry out to you in sadness and joy, in fear and in security, in sorrow and in hope.
We pray for our brothers and sisters who suffer, those who have died and those still who will die: raise them up to be with you forever in joy and happiness. For the missing, that they will still be found and rescued and returned to their families, even if it requires a miracle. For those who mourn, that because of the hope you give us, wipe every tear away and replace it with lasting memories of love and beauty.
Please help to never forget that you are with us always, and you are our hope, especially when all seems hopeless; that you are our rock when we are in need of strength; that you are our peace when there is turmoil; that you are our comfort when we are mourning and you are our joy, as all miracles and salvation come from you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
--Rev. Marc A. Vicari
