I’ll be honest, God (as if I could ever fool you). I am relieved hurricane Laura did not hit Houston directly. I found myself saying, “thankfully, it turned North toward Port Arthur and Lake Charles.” I heard someone say, “it is answered prayer.” What kind of prayer is that?
You tell us in your Scripture that when one of us suffers, we all suffer. You teach us that our lives as human beings and as followers of your son are inextricably linked together, that we are a part of one another. And we see our brothers and sisters suffering from devastating challenges – hurricanes that blow, fires that burn, economics that starve, viruses that seek to steal both life and community from your people. And yet, you are the tie that binds us together. We are all a part of you, part of the same body. Is my right hand happy that it was my left that is injured and screams out in pain? Is the heart thrilled when I die from kidney failure rather than a cardiac disease?
When I look around at the faces in the cars beside me on the freeway and the people walking into their doors at the end of the day, I know that even when there is no hurricane or virus, hearts are broken, and lives are upended, and there is so much suffering. So how can I suffer alongside my sisters and brothers without being overcome with suffering? How can I feel their pain without ruining everybody’s day?
So God, in this prayer, I turn my attention away from me to others. Bring comfort and strength to those who are damaged by the storm. Pour into their lives the resources they need to rebuild. Show me how to be an agent of that renewal and restoration. I lift up all who suffer to you and ask for your guidance that I may be, in some way, a comfort or solace to someone who is hurting today.
Amen.