Safety amid the storm

A prayer against Hurricane Dorian

Lord, you are the Creator and Master of all things in heaven and on Earth. Your hand made the land and the sea, and you gave us the awesome responsibility of their stewardship. You parted the Red Sea to make a path to freedom for your people, and you calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee to make safe passage for your Disciples, commanding, “Peace! Be still!”, and it was so.

We pray for You to calm, dissolve, or re-direct Hurricane Dorian so that all life is spared. Send your holy, warrior angels to form a hedge of protection around the families living along the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida coasts. Protect them, Lord, and their property from destruction. Keep them safe under the wings of your angels until danger has passed.

For all the families fleeing the storm, Lord, provide safe passage for them and resources for food, water, and shelter for as long as they need. Fortify the shelters for pets, livestock, and others who cannot, for whatever reason, evacuate. Bless those in emergency services, including all first responders, volunteers, and town leaders, with supernatural discernment, wisdom, and strength as they sacrifice their own safety for the good of all of the rest of us. Give those in government the heart of Christ himself, so that their actions are directed by the Holy Spirit and are free of all political motivations.

We praise You for the miracles we both see and do not see. We are so grateful that You know the eternal plan within which each of us purposefully fits through our individual mission to live like Jesus. Equip us now, Lord, to be His holy, healing light to those in need around us. Give us a stirring of what we can do to help during this time, through using our time, our talents, and our treasure – all of which are gifts from you.

In Jesus Christ’s precious name we lift these prayers to You,

Amen.

Jesus Calms the Storm

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:35-41 NIV)

Psalm 91 (NIV)

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he^[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”