WEEKLY FOCUS ARCHIVE

A Prayer for New Orleans

God, good God, remind us of your care, kindness, grace and compassion. Meet our needs which are many right now and use us to show, do, and extend goodness to others. Quiet the madness in our city, hold back the disease, bring us help and provision. Cover your people in our church communities, organize and utilize us and do good through us. We don't know what to pray at times and ask that your Spirit would intercede for us, for you know the needs we are not even aware of. Lord, you saw this coming, perhaps even sent it, and by your sovereignty you are in it somehow. Bring your purposes to fruition in this situation. Many are asking "why" and we know that the answers are found only in you. Lord, enable us to hear your voice in the wind and water and find your call to a life lived with rightly placed affections. God we must hear your word sent to us in this tragedy. We must be clear that neither government, science, money, planning or anything else in this world can offer us safety, hope or escape from death. We must recognize, Father, that in this mess you are calling our misplaced priorities as a country into question. We must again turn to prayer in the public setting, we must seek the influence and direction of the church for our good as a people, we must again embrace the sanctity of all life, we must heed your call to be a people who hunger for you above and beyond the trappings of this world. God, in your love, and yes your discipline (which is ultimately a demonstration of your love and desire to get us back on track) turn our hearts to you in this storm. As people and as a nation, make us aware that when such storms come you are calling us to yourself. When we find ourselves in the soul storms of life, oh God, may we recognize that you ride on the wind and call forth the waters and that you are speaking to us at every turn. You are good, oh Lord, and we call upon you for your good response. Please, respond to us oh Lord in our tears. Come to our aid in these moments of pain, confusion, loss, and uncertainty. Remind us that as we turn to you alone our future is secure. Remind us, Oh God, that in you alone we find peace, rest, poise, and yes, even joy amidst the storm. We worship you as the one who has control over all your creation and we stand in awe of you as we recognize your holiness, purity and grace. Thank you for your loving-kindness extended to us and thank you for your desire to have us as your own.

All this, we pray, Oh great God, in the name of Jesus who endured the storm of the cross bearing the tragedy our our sinfulness on our behalf. Amen

Bruce Smith (Rev.)
Director of Development, Teaching Pastor
bruce@uptownchurch.net

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