To experience what the people of Ukraine are going through at the moment, and what so many others have had to endure over the years, scarcely bears thinking about. The very thought of such suffering, terror and evil sends a cold chill down our spine. Yet, of course, those caught up in war have no choice but to face it as best they can. This prayer tries to put ourselves in their shoes, and asks for God’s help as they strive to cope with the awfulness of their situation.
For those striving to cope with war
How would I cope, Lord, with the bombs falling,
the shells screaming,
the destruction escalating,
the death toll rising,
the chaos intensifying,
the bloodshed worsening,
the threat growing,
the enemy advancing,
the casualties multiplying,
the suffering mounting?
How would I cope with fleeing as a refugee,
separation from loved ones,
loss of family and friends,
my home reduced to rubble,
my country overrun,
the slaughter of innocents,
suppression of freedom,
the daily threat of violence and death,
the triumph of despotism,
the tragedy of war?
I do not know for sure, Lord,
but I fear I’d cope badly, if at all,
such horrors being too dreadful to contemplate.
Reach out to those who have no choice but to endure them,
who find their world shattered,
their lives overwhelmed,
the future they anticipated cruelly plucked from them.
Reach out to those who feel numbed,
crushed,
desperate,
broken.
Grant them the support they need to somehow resist,
somehow survive,
somehow look forward,
somehow cope with everything that is being thrown against them,
and, with your help, to get through.
Amen.