{"id":5815,"date":"2012-10-30T08:37:23","date_gmt":"2012-10-30T15:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/breyeschow\/?p=5815"},"modified":"2012-10-30T09:09:56","modified_gmt":"2012-10-30T16:09:56","slug":"why-i-pray-in-times-of-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/breyeschow\/2012\/10\/30\/why-i-pray-in-times-of-disaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Pray in Times of Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

As it should be, the airwaves have been filled with reporting and accounts of Hurricane Sandy and its impact the eastern part of the the United States. For many of us who are not being\u00a0directly affected by the storm, it often feels like all we can do is follow the news coverage on TV, track our friends\u2019 updates on\u00a0Facebook\u00a0and follow the immediate reporting through our Twitter stream.<\/p>\n

The struggle for me during these times is how to not treat such times as some voyeuristic movie experience that can be paused or halted by powering down my device, but instead find a healthy way to\u00a0participate\u00a0in the healing and support. Honestly it is difficult to do, because in times that seem overwhelming and almost surreal, it\u2019s much easier to pretend\u00a0as if it\u2019s not really happening, to distance oneself from the pain or\u00a0romanticize\u00a0the situation all together.<\/p>\n

So here is what attempt I do.<\/p>\n

I pray.<\/em><\/p>\n

I give.<\/em><\/p>\n

I connect.<\/em><\/p>\n

I pray some more.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>While prayer often seems to be birthed out of moments of fear, hopelessness and disbelief, I\u00a0believe\u00a0that prayer is ultimately an act of courage, hope and faith. Some think prayer is an act of convenience and an\u00a0justification for inaction, and I get that, but for many people of faith, prayer is a powerful reminder to be the people we say we are. For me prayer is about remembering that there are always people in need of knowing God\u2019s peace in body, mind and spirit; prayer is about remembering that even out of times of our deepest despair, new life will emerge; and prayer is about trusting that, somehow in some way, the Spirit of God is moving.<\/p>\n

Prayer is not a set of demands or a wish list for God, but a powerful statement of my faith in God<\/p>\n

And so I pray.<\/p>\n

And my prayers\u00a0compel\u00a0me to give.<\/p>\n

While for some, giving of physical or fiscal\u00a0resources\u00a0is not possible or prudent, I choose to give through my own denominational disaster assistance program, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance<\/a>. There are others as well, Church World Service<\/a>, The Red Cross<\/a> and many others* doing the front line and long term work of response and rebuilding.<\/p>\n

And I connect.<\/p>\n

I keep up with friends and family, I try to leverage whatever social networking influence I have for good and I make sure that the lives of those affected so directly remain at the forefront of my mind for as long as possible. From my distance it\u2019s one\u00a0particular \u2013 and hopefully helpful<\/em> \u2013\u00a0way to be part of the response and recovery.<\/p>\n

And then I pray some more.<\/p>\n

Here is a prayer that was lifted up by Diana Butler Bass<\/a> last night.<\/p>\n

I speak for Christ:
\nYour God is not high in heaven
\nplaying wild games with nature.
\nYour God is deep within each storm.
\nYour God is the suffering God,
\nrevealed to us at Calvary,
\nand suffering with all who suffer
\nin the aftermath of storms.
\nYour God is the God of resurrection and new life<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Below is an\u00a0info graphic\u00a0from my friend Sarah Cunningham. Please feel free to share it<\/a> or simply consider doing some or all of what it calls us to do: pray, give and remember.<\/p>\n

God in your mercy, hear OUR prayer . . .*<\/em><\/p>\n

www.sarahcunningham.org\/hurricane-sandy-infograph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

* Please feel free to leave comments with organizations that you think are worth supporting and\/or any worship resources or prayers that you have found meaningful.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As it should be, the airwaves have been filled with reporting and accounts of Hurricane Sandy and its impact the eastern part of the the United States. For many of us who are not being\u00a0directly affected by the storm, it often feels like all we can do is follow the news coverage on TV, track […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":5816,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[244,17,814],"tags":[17479,16597,16830,17476,16746,16507,17475,16517,17477,17474,17478],"class_list":["post-5815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-politics","category-faith-religion","category-family-community","tag-sandy","tag-church-world-service","tag-diana-butler-bass","tag-disaster-response","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-hurricane-sandy","tag-prayer","tag-presbyterian-disaster-assistance","tag-sarah-cunningham","tag-the-red-cross"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy I Pray in Times of Disaster<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As it should be, the airwaves have been filled with 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