Prayer for Haiti in the Wake of Earthquake, Wind and Storm

1 Kings 19:11–13

God of Compassion, whose desire for all peoples is wholeness, life abundant and peace:

Hear us as we pray in sorrow for the people of Haiti, and the lives lost and communities shattered by the devastating earthquake and its aftermath. These island neighbors, still not wholly restored from the catastrophic earthquake of 2010, continue to struggle to move forward under increasingly heavy burdens of poverty and chronic hunger, civic unrest, hurricanes and COVID-19. They need the oneness of our purpose and the tangible outpouring of our love, our prayer in action.

As your servant Elijah fled for his life into the wilderness and found bread for the journey, may survivors of this disaster find, in the outpouring of their neighbors’ care, shelter, sustenance and companionship in the midst of horrors.

In the sheer silence that follows

            When the cries for help are stilled

            And the cameras and the news cycle have moved on to another tragedy,

May it be your voice we hear:

            Calling us to bear witness

            Calling us to remember

            Calling us to bring ourselves to

A ministry of prayerful presence and potent generosity.

Let us have an answer when your voice inquires,

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Let us answer with our prayers

Let us answer with generous gifts

Let us join together, an international community of healing,

To rebuild, to restore, and in time, to rejoice

That in a world that suffers, Light still shines,

And darkness and dust shall not overcome it.

In the name of the Human One we pray, amen.

The Rev. Dr. Laurie A. Kraus, Director,

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance