As we behold the destruction of the Los Angeles wildfires, we offer this prayer:
O God, be merciful. Hold us as we grieve and pray. Be tender toward those who suffer and bring hope to the broken.
We lament the devastating losses: whole neighborhoods, generations of memories, evidence of love and lives well-lived, all reduced to ash and rubble. Lord have mercy.
We weep with those who weep: nursing mothers, medically fragile children, folks evacuating from assisted living facilities, people who will never go home again. Christ have mercy.
We cry out at the injustice: insurance companies that canceled fire insurance policies just last week, and grifters circling like vultures around the vulnerable. Lord have mercy.
We pray for relief: rain, torrents of rain, water to quench the fire and still air to stop its spread. Christ have mercy.
We ask for an outpouring of love, compassion, and support: robust responses from dedicated and trustworthy leaders, neighbors who share what they have, strangers who become family, beauty among the ashes. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.
Amen.
Want resources like this prayer for Los Angeles in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters.
