Prayer for Japan

Lent with the Lord's Prayer

How do you pray when your heart hurts? When you feel numb to what is going on around you how do you cry out to God? When you watch the news this week, how do you pray to God when parts of the world look so bleak? As you see the pictures and the video that have come out of Japan, your heart just breaks. You cannot comprehend water making houses float away, cars tumbling and floating, and then you see people in trees, on cars, and houses. The loss is overwhelming. Your heart cries out to the people and you cry out to God. Why? Why?

The world has been blown out from under us and this is where we stand.

God are hearts are sad. God be with the people of Japan. Your creation is crying and groaning. Hear our cries. The cries of your people for Japan and the people of the pacific rim, for your oceans and sea life, for your land and its people. Hear our cries.

Then we wait….

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 God drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3 God put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. 4 Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods. 5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted. 6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. 7 Then I said, "Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." Psalm 40