Prayers for Times of Calamity

Excerpt from Prayers for the Pilgrimage

For the Fear of Death

O Wounded Christ, you who have gone to the monstrous
depths and swallowed death whole, tasting its bitter finality
and conquering it once for all, free me, I pray, from the
fear of death this day and comfort me in the losses that I
experience on account of it, so that my heart might be 
infused with your resurrecting life and set its hope upon the
promise of the new creation. I pray this in the name of the
Resurrection and the Life, Jesus Christ himself. Amen.

For a Beleaguered Heart

O Lord, you who promise to hold and to help us in our
hour of need, carry my weary body this day, I pray, and
care for my beleaguered heart, so that I might not lose
hope in these trying and troubling times. I pray this in the
name of Jesus, the One who carries all my burdens. Amen.

For Being Mad at God

O Lord, you who welcome our bitter tears and our raging
words of protest, cease your silence and hear me this day:
Awake, Lord! Rouse yourself! Heed my cries! Be the God that you
say you are and do not abandon me to my pain!
Show yourself, I pray, and meet me in the depths, so that I may know 
that there is a God in heaven who hears my voice and sustains
me in the hour of my need. I pray this in the name of the
God of Job. Amen.

Against Raging Hurricane Storms

O Lord, you who stand sovereign over wind and wave, be
with us this day, we pray, in the face of storms that savage
the land and winds that swallow up home and hope; do
not be deaf to our cries but be the God of life from death,
we pray, near to the brokenhearted and empty-handed,
so that we may experience you this day as the God who
brings order out of chaos. We pray this in the name of the
One who is our Shelter and Shield. Amen.

Against Raging Forest Fires

O Lord, you who govern all forces of nature, have mercy,
we pray, upon the lands that have been ravaged by fire;
quench the fires that consume the forests, douse the
flame that sets the mountains ablaze, shield the weak and
take pity upon all creatures, great and small, so that the
land might rest from its turmoil and we might praise your
mighty name. We pray this in the name of the One who
safely carries his people through fire and water. Amen.

Against Raging Earthquakes

O Lord, you who are an ever-present help in the time
of trouble, have mercy, we pray, upon the people who
have suffered an earthquake this day; silence the spasms
of the earth and still the tremors beneath the earth, so
that they might be rescued in the day of their disaster
and be comforted by your Spirit in the losses of life and
home. We pray this in the name of the One who is the
Repairer of Broken Walls and the Restorer of Streets with
Dwellings. Amen.

For God’s Ear to Be Inclined to the Hurting

O Lord, you who receive my prayers like rising incense
before you, hear me when I cry out to you this day, I pray,
so that I might hear your voice speaking a word of comfort
and consolation to my wounded heart. I pray this in the
name of the Spirit of God who intercedes for me with
groanings too deep for words. Amen.

For Tired Hearts

O Lord, you who make and mend the human heart, incline 
my heart to yourself this hour, I pray; melt and mold
it, cure and repair it, fill and form it, so that I might give
and receive your love to all whom I meet this day. I pray
this in the name of the One who revives the heart after it
has seen many troubles and calamities. Amen.