Posts Tagged ‘earthquake’

 

For the People of Turkey (Prayer After the Earthquake)

Posted on: October 23rd, 2011 by tobendlight

In the days after an earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010, I wrote two prayers: one for the people and one for first responders. Here they are, revised after an earthquake struck Turkey today. I have either revised these prayers or used elements of them in prayers after earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan, as well.

In Devastation (Prayer for the People of Turkey)
G-d beyond my understanding,
The earth has turned violent,
Sweeping our brothers and sisters off their feet,
Crushing homes and lives,
Upending dreams,
Toppling the foundations of hope and sustenance.
A shallow breath beneath the rubble
And wailing in the streets.
The injured and the dead.
The new widow,
The new orphan,
The newly bereft turn to You
Divine Source of abundance and grace.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Turkey,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
May a world of justice, righteousness and mercy
Come swiftly to their aid.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the people of Turkey Your protection,
Your radiance,
And Your peace.

Prayer For First Responders (to the Earthquake in Turkey)
Crisis and chaos,
Confusion and loss,
A scene of sweeping destruction,
The first responders arrive
Among the breathless and dazed,
The frenzied, driven wild with fear and grief,
The incapacitated, the dead,
The weary, the lost, the injured,
And survivors forcing themselves
Beyond their limits
To fight devastation.

G-d whose ways are secret,
Bless these first responders with endurance
To be of maximum service in this moment of immeasurable need.
Bless their limbs with strength,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hands with gentleness,
So that they become a source of hope and love.
Give them the tools they need in the days and hours ahead.
Protect them from physical harm,
Shield them from emotional pain,
And guard them from taking this trauma into themselves.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Turkey.
Let the world rally on their behalf.
May the deeds of the first responders
Find favor in Heaven
And bring healing on earth.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: In a sad twist, Israel has offered to send relief which Turkey has rejected.

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Japan’s Disasters

Posted on: March 14th, 2011 by tobendlight

img_0720A prayer for the people of Japan. Also see “For the People of Japan,” both written in response to the earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster.

Addendum: November 22, 2016: An earthquake has struck off the coast of Japan and a tsunami warning is in effect.

For Japan
G-d of earth and sea,
Of ocean and shore,
Hear the voices of our
Brothers and sisters from Japan:

Our eyes know horror,
Our bodies know fear,
Our limbs know terror,
And catastrophes mount.
We are bereaved and bereft,
Injured and wounded
After earthquake and tsunami,
A tide of death and devastation.
This nation that knows atomic destruction
Now faces nuclear calamity.

Heal this land, G-d of Old.
Heal this people, G-d of Mercy.
Heal this nation, G-d of Justice.
May the suffering end and the disasters cease.

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Photo Source: YouTube

 

For the People of Japan

Posted on: March 11th, 2011 by tobendlight

After an earthquake hit Haiti last January, I wrote two prayers: one for the people and one for first responders. Here they are revised after a tsunami unleashed by Japan’s biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday. I’ve also written a new prayer for  Japan to encompass the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

In Devastation (Prayer for the People of Japan)
G-d beyond my understanding,
The earth has turned violent,
Shaking land and sea,
Sweeping our brothers and sisters off their feet,
Crushing and drowning homes and lives,
Upending dreams,
Toppling the foundations of hope and sustenance.
A shallow breath beneath water and rubble
And wailing in the streets.
The injured, the dead, the starving.
The new widow,
The new orphan,
The newly bereft turn to You
Divine Source of abundance and grace.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Japan,
All swept into chaos by earthquake and tsunami,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
May a world of justice, righteousness and mercy
Come swiftly to their aid.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the people of Japan Your protection,
Your radiance,
And Your peace.

Prayer For First Responders
Crisis and chaos,
Confusion and loss,
A scene of sweeping destruction,
The first responders arrive
Among the breathless and dazed,
The frenzied, driven wild with fear and grief,
The incapacitated, the dead,
The weary, the lost, the injured,
And survivors forcing themselves
Beyond their limits
To fight devastation.

G-d whose ways are secret,
Bless these first responders with endurance
To be of maximum service in this moment of immeasurable need.
Bless their limbs with strength,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hands with gentleness,
So that they become a source of hope and love.
Give them the tools they need in the days and hours ahead.
Protect them from physical harm,
Shield them from emotional pain,
And guard them from taking this trauma into themselves.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Japan.
Let the world rally on their behalf.
May the deeds of the first responders
Find favor in Heaven
And bring healing on earth.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: I also revised these prayers when an earthquake hit New Zealand earlier this year. This particular revision adds a few words and lines to acknowledge the tsunami. Here’s a link to a new prayer for  Japan encompassing the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column.

For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

For the People of New Zealand

Posted on: February 22nd, 2011 by tobendlight

In the days after an earthquake hit Haiti last January, I wrote two prayers: one for the people and one for first responders. Here they are, revised after an earthquake struck New Zealand this morning.

In Devastation (Prayer for the People of New Zealand)
G-d beyond my understanding,
The earth has turned violent,
Sweeping our brothers and sisters off their feet,
Crushing homes and lives,
Upending dreams,
Toppling the foundations of hope and sustenance.
A shallow breath beneath the rubble
And wailing in the streets.
The injured, the dead, the starving.
The new widow,
The new orphan,
The newly bereft turn to You
Divine Source of abundance and grace.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of New Zealand,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
May a world of justice, righteousness and mercy
Come swiftly to their aid.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the people of New Zealand Your protection,
Your radiance,
And Your peace.

Prayer For First Responders (to the New Zealand Earthquake)
Crisis and chaos,
Confusion and loss,
A scene of sweeping destruction,
The first responders arrive
Among the breathless and dazed,
The frenzied, driven wild with fear and grief,
The incapacitated, the dead,
The weary, the lost, the injured,
And survivors forcing themselves
Beyond their limits
To fight devastation.

G-d whose ways are secret,
Bless these first responders with endurance
To be of maximum service in this moment of immeasurable need.
Bless their limbs with strength,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hands with gentleness,
So that they become a source of hope and love.
Give them the tools they need in the days and hours ahead.
Protect them from physical harm,
Shield them from emotional pain,
And guard them from taking this trauma into themselves.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of New Zealand.
Let the world rally on their behalf.
May the deeds of the first responders
Find favor in Heaven
And bring healing on earth.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column.

For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

For First Responders to the Earthquake in Haiti

Posted on: January 18th, 2011 by tobendlight

On Jan. 20 the URJ will host an update webinar on conditions in Haiti one year after a catastrophic earthquake. On Sunday former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier returned without warning after a 25-year exile saying he wanted to help rebuild. In the days after the earthquake, I wrote two prayers: one for the people of Haiti and one for first responders, who often internalize the trauma of a disaster.

For First Responders (to the Earthquake in Haiti)
Crisis and chaos,
Confusion and loss,
A scene of sweeping destruction,
The first responders arrive
Among the breathless and dazed,
The frenzied, driven wild with fear and grief,
The incapacitated, the dead,
The weary, the lost, the injured,
And survivors forcing themselves
Beyond their limits
To fight devastation.

G-d whose ways are secret,
Bless these first responders with endurance
To be of maximum service in this moment of immeasurable need.
Bless their limbs with strength,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hands with gentleness,
So that they become a source of hope and love.
Give them the tools they need in the days and hours ahead.
Protect them from physical harm,
Shield them from emotional pain,
And guard them from taking this trauma into themselves.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Haiti.
Let the world rally on their behalf.
May the deeds of the first responders
Find favor in Heaven
And bring healing on earth.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Click here for the prayer for the people of Haiti. The epicentre of the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake was near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. The Haitian government estimated that 230,000 people had died, 300,000 were injured and 1,000,000 made homeless. (Source: Wikipedia.)

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column.

For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

For the People of Haiti

Posted on: January 11th, 2011 by tobendlight

A year ago, Jan. 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti. In response, I wrote two prayers: one for the people of Haiti and one for the first responders. Here’s the prayer for the people of Haiti.

In Devastation (Prayer for the People of Haiti)
G-d beyond my understanding,
The earth has turned violent,
Sweeping our brothers and sisters off their feet,
Crushing homes and lives,
Upending dreams,
Toppling the foundations of hope and sustenance.
A shallow breath beneath the rubble
And wailing in the streets.
The injured, the dead, the starving.
The new widow,
The new orphan,
The newly bereft turn to You
Divine Source of abundance and grace.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Haiti,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
May a world of justice, righteousness and mercy
Come swiftly to their aid.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the people of Haiti Your protection,
Your radiance,
And Your peace.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here’s a link to the prayer for first responders. Haitian officials estimated that 230,000 people died in the disaster, 300,000 were injured and 1,000,000 made homeless. They also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged. (Source: Wikipedia.)

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Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

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