The New Year is greeted with new problems, new challenges, new defeats, new illnesses, and new tragedies.
Several friends and acqaintances are dealing with life-threatening illnesses. Yesterday the bodies of two men were found behind a shopping center several blocks from our home. It appears the men were homeless, intoxicated, and died due to exposure to the cold.
Yesterday Haiti was rocked by a horrible earthquake.The extent of the devastation is obvious; the number of deaths unknown, though it appears to be in the tens of thousands. I spent a week in Haiti 35 years ago. It was a trip that opened my eyes to the needs of the world. Today I read a prayer that expresses my thoughts .....
A PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE OF OF HAITI
By Taylor Burton-Edwards
The seas roar, the earth shakes,
buildings crumble, roofs topple
and walls turn to dust.
Have mercy on the people of Haiti, O God.
Nations watch, alarms sound,
traffic halts, utilities stop,
and news is hard to verify.
Give us compassion to weep with those who weep, O God.
People die, families mourn,
mountains split,
infrastructure and superstructure alike are gone.
Make us swift to help and persistent to rebuild,
not just things and structures, but lives, O God:
Through Christ, the solid Rock. Amen.
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