Great and gracious God, as we worship today we all come with personal cares and burdens. And on top of those we have been shaken by images we can’t unsee from the horrendous floods in Texas. The innocent children killed trouble our hearts the most, but we also pray for all the others who have lost loved ones, homes, businesses, and livelihoods.
In times like these we can’t help but ask the question people have been struggling with since the days of Job – where are you, Lord, when walls of water sweep little girls away? Why do you let things like this happen? Why do you let cancer, war, and human cruelty destroy innocent lives? If you are all-powerful and all-loving, why is there so much pain and suffering in our world?
As much as we wish you were a helicopter parent who would sweep in and protect us from anything terrible happening, we know that is not who you are, God. You are a heavenly parent who has given us the freedom to make choices. When we mess things up with selfish or short-sighted decisions, we would often like to give that freedom back to you.
But like earthly parents you know there is a time when children must be set free to make their own choices. Hindsight is always 20/20, but no amount of blaming, no law suits can undo the consequences of our mistakes. We can only learn from them and try to do better in the future.
So we humbly ask, Merciful God, that you would forgive us where we have misused our freedom to choose. Help us accept things we cannot change, and in our experiences empower us to be your presence through prayer and acts of service for those who are hurting next door, and in Texas, and around the world.
When we wonder where you are in the midst of tragedy, Lord, remind us that you are always there in the form of helpers who comfort those who mourn, weeping with those who sob uncontrollably, in the form of first responders and volunteers tirelessly searching for the lost and missing.
Thank you for being with us in every time of need, for being, as the Psalmist says, “close to the brokenhearted and saving those who are crushed in spirit.” For all your mercies we offer our thanks, and especially for Jesus, who lived your presence as one of us, teaching us how to live, how to love, and how to pray. Our Father ….
Northwest United Methodist Church, Columbus, Ohio, July 13, 2025
Peacefully Harsh 
Thank you, Steve. This is a very comforting prayer.