Creator God, at times such as this,
when we realised that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined, we plead for your mercy.
As the things we have built crumble,
we know too well how small we truly are on this every-changing, ever moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.
Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
Comfort them, O God, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes and offices no longer exits.
Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion, we who watch from afar,
as our friends and relatives experience misery upon misery.
Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day, to work for justice always,
and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.
And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life’s daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our sisters and brothers.
We are all the work of your hands.
For though the mountains leave their place and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us and your promise of peace will never be shaken.
(Isaiah 54:10)
when we realised that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined, we plead for your mercy.
As the things we have built crumble,
we know too well how small we truly are on this every-changing, ever moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.
Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
Comfort them, O God, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes and offices no longer exits.
Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion, we who watch from afar,
as our friends and relatives experience misery upon misery.
Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day, to work for justice always,
and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.
And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life’s daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our sisters and brothers.
We are all the work of your hands.
For though the mountains leave their place and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us and your promise of peace will never be shaken.
(Isaiah 54:10)
