A massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean nearby Northeastern Japan at around 2:46 pm on March 11 (JST) causing damage with blackouts, fires, building collapses, and much more. The nuclear power plant at Fukushima Dai-ichi was damaged, raising concerns about leaking radiation. The earthquake triggered an enormous tsunami that roared over Japanese harbors, towns, and fields, destroying much in its path. The tsunami waves crossed the Pacific region as far as California in the United States. The death toll in human and animal life is still being determined.

Photo from The New Zealand Hymnbook TrustThrough searches for "Japanese earthquake" on Google Images and YouTube, we see so many scenes of the destruction. We find ourselves empathizing with those affected by this tragedy. We have compassion for the suffering.

And so we pray this news. . .

Lord, in your tenderness hold close those
who have lost loved ones in the
earthquake in Japan and the tsunami in the Pacific.
Wipe away the tears of those who have lost homes,
cars, boats, possessions, and pets in this tragedy.
Send helpers and wise counselors to offer
support and encouragement to the victims everywhere,
especially those who are in hospitals and shelters.

Lord, in your power bring hope out of the despair
which the people in Japan must be feeling.
Give them the strength and the courage to
weather the long storm of recovery and personal renewal.
For those who are homeless, grant them a new place
to live and work to help them flourish.
For those children separated from their parents.
give them shelter with people who care.

Help us, Lord of Connections, to feel empathy
with our suffering brothers and sisters in the Pacific region.
Open our hearts and minds to keep them in our prayers
as they traverse the long hard road to
recovering their lives and work.

— Frederic Brussat

Prayer After an Earthquake

Oh God, at times such as this,
when we realize 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 about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving, fragile planet we call home.
Yet you never forget us.

Oh God, come to our assistance

Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief and the names of missing dead.

Comfort them, Oh God, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes no longer exist.

Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly in this tragedy.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.

Fill our hearts with compassion,
we who watch from afar,
as the poorest on this side of the earth
find only 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 brothers and sisters.
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.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever. Amen

— Author Unknown, posted at The New Zealand Hymnbook Trust

Contemplate the effects of the earthquake and tsunami with this online gallery of photographs from The Associated Press.

Light a Candle at our sister site, Gratefulness.org, for those suffering in Japan and the Pacific.


Next Post: A Prayer for the Bees