Prayer For Tragedy Victims
Father, you're close to people whose hearts are breaking, those who are discouraged and have given up hope. May You who see their troubles and grief respond when they cry out. When they're hurting, help them find their joy in You, for ...Your joy will be their strength. Help them to trust You as their God of hope. Fill them with Your joy, peace, and hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May the pain of every living being
Be completely cleared away.
May I be the doctor and the medicine
And may I be the nurse
For all sick beings in the world
Until everyone is healed...
May the frightened cease to be afraid
And those bound be freed.
O Lord, I am torn up with grief. I know you are there, but I cannot see past my sorrow and tears. Be with me, Lord... guide me through these dark days and bring your light to my life, so that I may see your goodness, even in my mourning.
Dear Heavenly Father, We pray that your loving presence may be felt in the community that has experienced this tragedy that claimed so many lives. It's hard for us to imagine the magnitude of so many lives lost so suddenly and the grief and sorrow that it has brought.
Yet you tell us in this Bible verse in Isaiah 53:3 that Jesus Christ was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and suffering. We pray that all pain suffered there today and in the days to come may be joined with the suffering of Christ upon the cross to work your redemptive power in the world.
May your love pour forth through the prayers, presence and service of your caring people from all nations to begin the healing process. Heal those who have suffered bodily and mental injury. Comfort those who are grieving the loss of dear ones. Bind together the community in grace and faith. Send your helping angels and your life giving Holy Spirit. In the name of Christ, your suffering servant we pray. Amen.
Hear our prayer, O Lord our God, for our nation.
In many ways we have come to a full stop; airplanes streak no streams across the sky;
the din of the marketplace is stilled; the joy of lauding a deft double-play has beentaken from us.
Be present with us as one nation under you, O Lord.
Give constant and wise counsel to our President and his advisors.
Be present with our armed forces throughout the world,
who take their posts day and night on our behalf on high alert.
Strengthen the resolve of those leaders
who seek true justice rather than blind retaliation.
Keep us all mindful of how small this earth is,
how interrelated our lives have become,
and how fragile security and peace is.
Hold us together as one people, Lord;
guard us from lashing out in prejudice against our neighbors
who, having come from many lands, now pledge their allegiance to but one flag.
Lord our God, have mercy upon us,
and grant us your peace.
God of the heavens: nature and all that You have created are truly awesome. Often, we; take these wonders for granted. Teach us to cherish all of your gifts.
Try as we might, we know that we cannot control the oceans, the mountains, the weather. We also firmly believe that ever since the time of Noah, You do not send floods, make the earth shake, or dispatch weather formations, such as hurricanes, as warnings or punishments.
So we ask, as this hurricane approaches land and approaching our brothers and sisters, that You shelter all who will be in its path. Watch over everyone, their loved ones, friends, and fellow people, many of whom are preparing to evacuate. Guard them as they prepare, perhaps to leave their homes again. Give them strength, courage, and resolve to ride out this storm; answer their prayers and ours that they be blessed with goodness and be spared from harm.
Baruch ata Adonai, Elohanu Melech Haolam she kocho u-gevurato maleh olam.
Blessed are You, Source of Life and Nature, whose awesome power and strength fill our world and inspire us to be strong in the face of all of life's difficulties.
Lord, at times such as this,
when we realize that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined,
we plead for your mercy.
As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.
Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief
and the names of missing dead.
Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes no longer exist.
Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly this day.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.
Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion,
we who watch from afar,
as the poorest on this side of the earth
find only misery upon misery.
Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day,
to work for justice always,
and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.
And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life's daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our brothers and sisters.
We are all the work of your hands.
For though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us,
and your promise of peace will never be shaken.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
now and forever.
Most merciful and compassionate God,
Giver of Life and Love,
hear our prayers
and let our cries come unto you.
We weep with your people
We hear the cries of orphaned children and laments of bereaved parents
We feel the desperation of those searching for loved ones
We behold the silence of vanished villages.
We see the devastation.
We are overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.
Our hearts are hushed, our minds are numb.
Let not our hands be stopped, our voices dumb.
God of the universe,
Open our hearts to feel your compassion
Galvanize in us the act of continued giving
Bond us to our sisters and brothers in need
Comfort and heal the injured, the bereaved, the lost
Strengthen the aid workers and medical personnel
Bolster the resolve of governments and those with power to help
Open through this tragedy pathways to partnerships and peace
In Your Name of mercy and healing and compassion we pray