God of all flesh, please be with all those suffering in Los Angeles:
Be with those now in mourning for loved ones, friends, and neighbors.
Be with the newly homeless, and be with the previously homeless.
Be with those living in fear for people and for homes they don’t know if they’ll ever see again.
Be with the firefighters and first responders, and be with those just pitching in to help.
God, we call on You for help even though we know this one’s on us. This is no act of God. The chaparral mountainsides of Los Angeles have been thirsting for rain all winter, and we have deprived them of it. We have upset the delicate balance of seasons You orchestrated from days of old, the careful choreography of the winds You blow and the rains You bring down.
After the Flood You said,
“So long as the earth endures,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Summer and winter,
Day and night
Shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22)
But we have interfered.
Now it is up to us to restore these rhythms You created.
Yet even though this one is on us, we need You. We need You to be with the people who are hurting, and we need You to fortify us to getA writ of divorce. Traditionally, only a man can grant his wife a get. Liberal Jews have amended this tradition, making divorce more egalitarian. it together as a global family of humanity to steer Your Creation away from more destruction.
Kein yehi ratzonLit. "May it be Your Will ..." The opening of many petitionary prayers. / May it be Your will.
Amen
