I found some words and thoughts that I could use in Sinéad O'Connor's song "Watcher of Men" from her "Theology" album. This is based on fragments from Job. And so my prayers for the world became:
We pray for the world
We think of Asia.
Lord we pray for all those suffering from the devastation of the cyclone in Myanmar and the earthquake in China. Tens of thousands of people washed away in the cyclone as it tore across the Irrawaddy delta. Tens of thousands buried and injured in the sudden earthquake in Sichuan province China. We cannot comprehend the magnitude of the suffering.
Like Job, we are inclined to say to you God:
"Oh watcher of men
Do you have eyes of flesh?
Is your vision like man?
Are your years the years of man?"
Do you see this suffering? For it is beyond our comprehension.
But with Job we say
"I spoke without understanding
Of things beyond me which I did not know
And now I've heard you with my ears
And I've seen you with my eyes
Therefore I recant and relent
For we too are but dust and ashes"And so we bow before you in intercession in the face of this great suffering. We pray for those who are helping the victims. And we pray for those in the Myanmar government who are preventing help getting to the people.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Somehow I felt that first I had to express anger and frustration to God. "Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see this suffering?" With the implication "do you care"? Before being able to recognise that He is sovereign. And accepting that He sees the big picture that we cannot grasp. Only then it was possible to intercede for those who are suffering.
