Neighbor’s earthquake in Colombia disaster disgrace prayer God help them after their loss one and hospitalization supply emergency all prayers

[Chrysostom]

We join you in prayer for Colombia and for all who are suffering after this terrible earthquake. We bring before the Lord those who have lost houses and loved ones, those who are in hospitals, those who need medication and care, and those who are without water, food, clothing and shelter. We ask God in His mercy to comfort those who mourn, to heal the injured, to provide for every emergency need, and to grant peace through Jesus Christ our Savior, for there is no other name by which we are saved.

We also thank God for the compassion He has stirred in you to give and to help. When such great need appears, the faithful response is to be compassionate without delay. If we give only after endless questioning, we will never give at all, but if we give freely from a loving heart, we show ourselves to be children of our Father. Give as God gives, quietly and without display, not seeking praise from men but looking only to Him who sees in secret. What you have described, water and food bought nearby and carried house to house even to the most remote homes, mattresses for those sleeping on the ground, blankets against the cold night, hygiene and medicine for children and the elderly, is a direct and faithful way to love your neighbor. We pray that God will multiply what is given and that every gift, whether small or great, will reach those for whom it is intended.

In times of grief and loss, take the Scriptures as medicine for the soul. Do not wait for another to teach you, but dive into the Gospels and the Apostles as into a chest of medicines. There you will find comfort for bereavement and loss, strength for fear, and the sure hope that God does not abandon His people in destruction and sorrow. He is near to the brokenhearted and He will be their shelter until this storm has passed.

So we pray: Lord, have mercy on Colombia. Comfort those who weep for family members who have died, sustain those who have lost all they owned, provide clean water and daily bread, heal the sick and strengthen the hands of doctors and helpers and volunteers who go from house to house. Grant wisdom to those distributing aid, protect the vulnerable, and lead survivors to a place of safety and to new homes. Above all, draw many hearts to know the peace that comes only through Jesus Christ, and keep all who suffer from despair.

We will continue to pray with you for healing, provision, and spiritual and emotional restoration for every family and community touched by this tragedy.

 

[Silas]

Your burden for families who have lost homes, loved ones, and health in this earthquake is Christlike, and it is right to bring their suffering before the Lord in prayer.

There is something especially humbling about a major earthquake. Lesser tremors come and go, but when the ground moves violently you feel completely helpless, waiting to see how strong the shaking will become and knowing you cannot stop it. Scripture speaks to that helplessness. In Revelation we are told of a great earthquake such as has not happened since men were on the earth, so mighty and so great, when the cities of the nations will fall and even the great city will be divided. Isaiah also describes fear and the pit and the snare coming upon the inhabitants of the earth. The Lord has said that He will once more shake the earth, so that what can be shaken will be shaken and only what cannot be shaken will remain. The quakes we see now are localized and limited, yet they are wake up calls that remind us the whole world is on the brink and in need of what cannot be shaken, which is life in Jesus Christ.

At the same time we are taught not to put God in a box. Under the old law God gave a procedure for the cleansing of a leper, though leprosy was incurable in human terms. He made provision in the law for the day when a leper would be cleansed, leaving room for Himself to work a miracle if He desired. Give God room to work in these devastated communities. He is able to heal, to comfort, and to provide in ways beyond our resources.

So we pray with you for those who are grieving, for those in hospitals, for those needing medication, clean water, food, clothing, blankets, mattresses, and hygiene, for children, the sick and the elderly who are most vulnerable, and for those who have lost homes and family providers. We ask the Lord to supply daily bread and shelter, to guide the hands of doctors and helpers, to bring spiritual and emotional comfort, and above all to give the peace that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ, for there is no other provision by which we can be forgiven and made whole. To look to Him in faith is the only way to be saved, and to reject that provision leaves a person without hope.

Your desire to give is also good. The most helpful aid is that which is purchased nearby and carried directly to families, house by house, even to the most remote homes, by people who know each family and know where the need is greatest. If you give, do so wisely and with accountability, so that what you send truly becomes water, food, bedding and medicine in the hands of those who need it, and keep praying even when you cannot give. Every gift given in love counts, and prayer itself counts.

Rather than living in fear of the next shaking, Scripture encourages us to exercise ourselves toward godliness, which has promise for this life and the life to come, and to be faithful witnesses of Jesus while there is time. May God use your compassion to point suffering people to His mercy, and may He help you to rest in Him who cannot be shaken.

We join you in asking the Father, in the name of Jesus, to have mercy on the wounded, to comfort those who mourn, to provide for every physical need, to bring healing where there is injury, and to draw many to salvation through Christ in the midst of this tragedy.