Praying in a Storm

I sometimes wonder about how to pray in a storm.  Surely, a lot of praying went on a few weeks ago before that devastating hurricane crept ashore to wreak havoc in Texas.  And, no doubt that praying has continued in these days of recovery as people and communities are attempting to get back on their feet.  Of course, an even greater hurricane has been the object of great concern for some days now for the people of the Caribbean, Florida, and other southeastern states.  As one who has contemplated the destruction which could come to our own doorsteps, I have breathed prayers about this storm for some days.

 

But, how do you do it?  Do you pray the storm will turn and bring its havoc on someone else?  Is it selfish to pray that the place you live would be spared those destructive winds?  Do you ask God to do something for you even though it may be at the expense of someone else in another place?  Or, do you stand with your hands in the air praying that God would block the storm from its current path?  How do you pray in the face of such storms?  And, perhaps, even more importantly, how do you pray once the storm is fully pressing against you.?  As I have been praying, I have wondered if I am praying rightly.

"Father God, I confess to not knowing exactly how to pray.  I know in the deep places of my heart that You are the God of all things and that You have power even over the storm which threatens so many of us.  Yet, still I see the storm coming.  Coming to me and coming to others.  I have been saddened by the loss so many have already experienced and it grieves me to consider that it is going to happen again in such a widespread fashion.  Lord, help us all make good choices.  Give us the strength to act on those choices.  And, Father God, please bless what I have done and others have done so that our hope for safety through the storm becomes reality.  Give peace and grant mercy.  In the name of Jesus I pray.  Amen."