Good morning…
I prayerfully bow my head and read one vulnerable sentence.
“The fires crept up on residents and tourists of the Hawaii island of Maui on Aug. 8,” a news feed said seven minutes ago, “as a perfect storm of strong winds and dry conditions left Maui vulnerable to what state officials say has become the deadliest natural disaster in the state’s history.”
Profound is the loss of life and the devastation of modest homes, small businesses, and a soulful, simple lifestyle. The chard ghost town images coming out of hard-hit Lahaina are heartbreaking, just heartbreaking. (Our family cherishes great memories of the vibrant joy of this special town.) So many sweet seeds of potential for these gentle, generous natives have gone up in flames, completely burned away.
This week our posts have explored the mathematics of love, the mystical science of the cross. My deep prayers meet the residents of Maui at the foot of the cross, where we are promised that love stays true and compassion compounds. I call upon the regenerative power of our Creator, our Redeemer, our Sustainer.
Dear God, be gentle to the grieving. Support the starving. Be true to your promises, as your love compounds into eternity.
May the power of the living God show up on the shores of Maui today, in personal and palpable ways. Sooth the hurting hearts of the people, and multiply the compassion of each loving helper. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes (Isaiah 58:12, NLT).
…Sue…
P.S. Similar prayers fan out for lives demolished by war and other wildfires, by hurricanes and Alzheimers, by betrayal and job loss, by violence and addiction, by disease, divorce, depression. Today may the power of the living God show up in these places of real ruin, in very personal and very palpable ways. Amen.
Together may we be caught up in the mystical science of the cross, in the compounding compassion of our Almighty God.
