Prayer following Gulf Coast flooding

 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. —Song of Solomon 8:7 

In response to catastrophic flooding in Baton Rouge, South Louisiana and the Gulf states, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has responded in the Presbytery of South Louisiana and reached out to the presbytery of Mississippi offering assistance.

May the church join together in prayer for those affected by this disaster.

God of our life, whose presence sustains us in every circumstance, 

in the aftermath of storm and distress, 

we welcome the restoring power of your love and compassion. 

We open our hearts in sorrow, gratitude, and hope: 

that those who have been spared nature’s fury as well as those whose lives are changed forever by ravages of water may find solace, sustenance, and strength in the days of recovery and restoration that come.

We open ourselves to the stories of those communities and individuals deeply affected, and pray in grief, remembering the lives that have been lost as floodwaters raged.

We lift our voices in sorrow and compassion for families who have lost loved ones, homes, or livelihoods.

We ask for sustaining courage for those who are suffering;

for wisdom and diligence among those assessing damage and directing relief efforts; 

and for generosity to flow as powerfully as rivers and streams,

as we, your people, respond to the deep human needs

beginning to emerge in the wake of the storm.

In these days of relief, assessment, and response,

open our eyes, our hearts, and our hands to the needs of your children and to the movements of your Spirit, who flows in us like the river whose streams make glad the city of God, and the hearts of all who dwell in it and in You. 

In the name of Christ the Healer, we pray. Amen.

-Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus, Coordinator of PDA