Ten Ways You Can Pray for Katrina Victims
Before the tragedy gets pushed to the back of your mind
Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, with every passing day the story fades
from the front pages. One of the worst storms to blow onto American shores and
the largest displacement of people in our history should have more "shelf life in the
mind," but it doesn't. Time marches on.
So lest you and I forget about Katrina victims as the media turns to other stories,
here are some specific things you can pray for to help them.
1. Pray for the families who have lost loved ones. Pray for the comfort that
only the God of all comfort can give (2 Corinthians 1:3). It's hard enough to lose
someone you care about, but to lose them and perhaps not know where they are or
to know that the authorities weren't able to get to their body quickly for burial has
to have caused deep scars on the souls of the victims. Compassionately pray for
those who have lost the dearest on earth to them.
2. Pray for those who have lost their homes and all their possessions. While
Christians know we are to "set our affection on things above" (Colossians 3:2),
losing your home, your belongings, your Bible, your photo albums, the things you
hold dear is a trauma very few have experienced. Put yourself in the shoes of the
victims and pray for them to regain specific loses.
3. Pray for those who are still living in shelters or in homes with those who
were strangers until they took them in. It is heart-warming to see families
open their homes to people in need. This is what Jesus wants us to do (Matthew
25:35). We should be grateful that shelters were established for those who had
nowhere to go. But disassociation from all that is familiar is traumatic. Pray that
victims will soon have a place of their own so that some degree of normalcy can
return to their lives.
4. Pray for families that have been split apart by the hurricane. As the days
continue since Katrina hit, more and more families are being reunited. But there are
still people who do not know where their family members are, whether or not they
have survived, whether or not they are injured. How painful it is not to know
(Psalm 9:9-10; 42:5). Pray that those agencies involved will quickly and efficiently
bring displaced families together.
5. Pray for those who have become embittered by the storm. Anger and
bitterness are often the results of being overwhelmed and there is little question
that both the people of the Gulf Coast and the local, state and Federal governments
were overwhelmed by the Katrina disaster. Pray that those who are bitter at God,
at government, at others will imbibe the apostle Paul's admonition about putting
away all bitterness, anger and speaking evil of those they feel let them down
(Ephesians 4:31).
6. Pray for those who have come face-to-face with their own mortality as a
result of the hurricane. Pray that this trauma will also bring them face-to-face
with Jesus and that the Spirit of God will draw them to Himself (James 4:11). Pray
for spiritual influences in their lives to be faithful in presenting the claims of the
Gospel. As the old spiritual says, "Some through the water, some through the flood,
some through the fire, but all through the blood." May this tragedy bring many into
the Kingdom of God.
7. Pray for those agencies (the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, etc.) that
have been on the frontline of providing aid and shelter to Katrina's victims.
Pray for strength and stamina as the weeks and months wear on since the storm
(Galatians 6:9-10). The staff of these relief agencies is undoubtedly exhausted and
discouraged, but the need for them to assist the victims continues and so they
must. Pray they will have godly wisdom in allocating the millions and millions of
dollars that the American public has donated for relief.
8. Pray for all the Christian organizations, churches, missions and others
who have risen to the challenge of Katrina. Hundreds of Christian ministries
have collected money, sent relief teams and encouraged volunteers to help in the
effort. Pray that they will not only be helpful physically, but they will be able to
provide the spiritual counsel and comfort that governments cannot (2 Corinthians
9:10-13).
9. Pray for the next stage of relief. After bodies are buried, families are
reunited, and communities are rebuilt, the city of New Orleans needs relief from the
satanic influences that have so dramatically impacted that city (Ephesians 6:12).
Pray that all the churches, radio stations and other ministries in New Orleans will
have their most influential ministry ever in the wake of the hurricane. Natural
disasters are not always the judgment of God and this one is likely no exception,
but New Orleans has been a city in particular need of divine discipline. Pray that
God will make "The Big Easy" into a city set on a hill.
10. Pray for America, for our President and the Congress. Pray for all who
have learned in such dramatic fashion that civil preparedness is never absolute.
Pray that we may better be able to respond to such tragedies in the future, but at
the same time that America will learn well that "blessed is the nation whose God is
the Lord" (Psalm 33:12), and that we may prepare for the future on our knees.
Source: http://www.backtothebible.org/katrina.htm