earthquake victims
Pray the News – February 19th, 2023
On February 6th, a 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, with another 7.7 earthquake hours later, followed by more than 2,100 aftershocks in the disaster area which is approximately 200 by 250 miles. So far, we know that over 47,000 people have died in these quakes and more than 122,000 were injured. More than seven million children have been affected. Countless families have been left without shelter in freezing temperatures, seeking shelter at relatives’ homes, in neighboring cities, in emergency shelters, in their cars, in tents, or outdoors. Economic losses are estimated at $100 billion or more. The road to recovery will be long.
Psalm 113:1-7 (NLT) – “Praise the LORD! Yes, give praise, O servants of the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD now and forever. Everywhere—from east to west—praise the name of the LORD. For the LORD is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high? He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump.”
Today, will you join me in praying for the precious people of Turkey and Syria?
Lord God, King of the Universe, we cry out to you today. These needs are great, so great that we feel overwhelmed and powerless in the face of such vast suffering. We do not have the resources, wisdom, physical or emotional strength. But we turn to you in the confidence that you have everything that each affected person needs. We thank you that you hear our prayers, so we pray big today, placing our faith, hope, and trust in you, Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray that you would send help so that each who is without a safe and warm place to sleep would have shelter. We pray that you would make a way for medical teams, supplies, and medicines to not only be sent but also received by those in need. We pray for needed sanitation workers and necessary equipment to prevent contamination and diseases. We pray for food for the hungry and water for the thirsty, that no one would lack the daily sustenance necessary for life. We pray for weather-appropriate clothing to reach each one in need. We pray for an outpouring of your Spirit to bring comfort and peace to minds that must surely be distressed. We pray for pathways of emotional and psychological healing for each who is traumatized. We pray for the provision of emergency kits and warm blankets. We pray for the many who were already refugees, that each would be settled in a home and a community in which they can thrive.
The needs are huge, oh God, but our hope is in you. Help us to not only have faith but to let our faith in you produce good deeds. Show us each how you would have us stand alongside our sisters and brothers in Christ, and how to give and serve to help those in crisis. Keep our hearts from growing cold. Stoke in us the fire of love for you and love for others. Help us, oh God. In the middle of all this distress, we choose to praise you and keep our hearts and minds centered on you. Our hope is in you, and we pray all of these things in the name of the Father, Christ Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
