Methodist Hospital Chaplains Share Morning Prayers After Hurricane Ike

The Chaplains’ Office at The Methodist Hospital has emailed prayers each morning to all hospital staff during the two weeks since Hurricane Ike. They have served as a means of connecting all of us to the personal tragedies of many of our staff, and reminding us of the Source of our strength. One pastor asked permission to make the prayers available to his congregation. We invite you to reprint the prayers as part of your pastoral care of your members, especially those who have suffered most gravely.

Morning Prayer after Hurricane Ike

A Prayer for Monday:

God of the night and of the day, the Psalmist reminds us that the darkness and the light are both alike to you. We are human and we feel safer in the light; this morning, we are grateful for the sunlight! We are human, and we face another day with mixed feelings, fretting and tired; we are grateful, because we know you are patient with us. Forgive us when we grow impatient over little things, and keep us ever mindful that the big things are in your hands. AMEN.

A Prayer for Tuesday:

God, we confess that we sometimes magnify our small worries and anxieties, making molehills into mountains. Yet we know that some of our sisters and brothers have really big worries that they must contend with. For a moment, turn our thoughts away from our little concerns, and fill us with compassion for those who are afraid what tomorrow may bring; those who have loved ones who died among us last night; those awaiting the results of tests that may be life-threatening. We are grateful for little blessings. AMEN

A Prayer for Wednesday:

Lord, what trials we are experiencing! Fences down, trees down, piles of debris. Some of us have suffered damage to our homes. We are grateful for the offers of help from neighbors: for the bag of ice for which a neighbor said we had a greater need; for the ten-year-old boy from down the street who offered to bag the piles of leaves; for the technicians who are restoring light and power; for the stranger who stopped to lift the large branch because he said we looked too old to be carrying them. Amid all the reasons we have to be cynical—we are human, not You—we thank You for reasons to hope. Yet we are saddened by the behaviors of some, and we cannot help wondering at times: Do You sometimes despair a little?

A Prayer for Thursday:

Good Lord, what a mornin’! You refresh the creation, and bring signs of the promise of new life. They remind us that some things return to normal, just at the moment when we despaired they ever would.  Thank you that the hummingbirds, on their Fall migration, have returned to our garden. They are passing through, but these moments are sweet, worth waiting for.  And this morning it was cool, just like we have dreamed about all summer. Thank you for the blessings of the seasons and the renewal they bring. AMEN

A Prayer for Friday:

Holy One, You promised that when we pass through the waters, You will not forsake us. You hear our cries of pain and grief. We should not need to be reminded that You keep promise—but we are human, and become so wrapped up in our own worries that we are apt to forget. We know You hear our cries of grief and pain. When everything in our lives is shaking and we feel most vulnerable, keep us resolute and steadfast in the things that cannot be shaken.  Renew in us the hope which never fails; kindle and sustain in us the love which endures all things; and lift our eyes from our present trials to the things which are unseen and eternal. AMEN

Prayers After Ike—Week II

Monday September 22

God, it is Monday again. We know you see things on a grand scale. There is a threat of financial melt-down across the country. Far more serious, the violence in other countries plunges so many into poverty and terrible abuse that they live in daily terror, in fear for their lives. But we know, too, that you see the concerns of your people on a small scale. We have lived through what for many of us has been the worst possible week. Homes have been washed away; some burnt to the ground, others are flooded or terribly damaged; our families are broken, scattered; some of us are coming to work worried sick about all of this. In moments of despair we worry that our lives will ever be normal again: You know we hurt. Lord, hear our prayer, and let our cry come to You.

Tuesday September 23

Lord, in the darkest hour, Your servant cried, ‘Lord, out of the depths, I have called to You; hear my cry, Lord; let your ears be attentive to my supplication. . . .  I wait for You with longing. My soul waits for You, more eagerly than watchmen (on the wall) wait for the dawn. . . .’ We wait for this darkness to pass, some with heavy hearts. In Your mercy, give us strength to cry with your servant, ‘Let us look to You, for in the Lord is love unfailing, and great is Your power to deliver!’ AMEN!

Wednesday September 24

Lord, the great oak trees that stand in our streets and yards have always been symbols of strength, and we admire them, gnarled, yet beautiful. But even the strongest trees were shattered or felled by this storm. Some of us feel shattered, also. Oh, how we hurt! The husband of one of our employees, in the midst of the storm, learned he has cancer in his chest, pelvis, brain, needs a bone marrow transplant, and on the same day was terminated from his job and had lost his insurance. Strengthen us. Mend us in the broken places where the wounds hurt most. A wise man wrote: ‘When it is very dark, we need very little light. A little light goes a long way.’ We beseech You, give those of us still standing a sense of hope, a light with which we can walk into the darkness where the wounds hurt most, until the darkness is at last overcome by the light. AMEN

Thursday September 25

Lord, we live in a city in which some of us feel blessed because we have suffered little; some are hurting deeply, feeling broken. It is no joy for the blessed, and no consolation to those who hurt most deeply, to be reminded that “That’s Life.” Yet it is true! It is also true that such a disaster brings out the very best in some people and the worst in others. We thank you for the community of our hospital family, friends and colleagues whose love and care have built a bridge of hope so that blessed and hurting can cross together from despair to new life. Thank You for the gifts whereby we are able to reach out to one another. AMEN.

Friday September 26

Thank You, Lord—it’s Friday! We made it through another week—not unscathed, but still standing.  Some of us need a little support so we can straighten our backs and dare to look into the future. We are still hurting, some more grievously than others. But for every small note of hope, for every comforting word, for every arm under ours that helped us take the next step, for every offer of help from those who didn’t believe us when we said we had no need of help, we praise You. For You bless these moments as reminders to each of us of Your boundless love and Your constant presence in our lives. Thank You.  AMEN