Praying with the People of Japan



Woodcut by Japanese artist Sadao Watanabe,
Cathedral Sacristy

It is an amazing thing that no matter what is in our hearts as we come before God in prayer, the Scriptures have been there before us, giving us words that resonate as if they had been uttered this very moment.  As George Herbert wrote in his poem The Holy Scriptures, it is not we who comment on the scriptures; rather, "my life... comments on thee:  for in ev’ry thing / Thy words do finde me out, and parallels bring, / And in another make me understood."

As we pray with and for the people of Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, the ancient words of the psalmist take on new meaning, as they express the grief and terror of the people of today.

The waves of death rose about me;

the torrents of destruction assailed me;

the snares of the grave surrounded me;

the traps of death confronted me.

The earth reeled and rocked;

The mountains were shaken to their base.

The bed of the ocean was revealed;

The foundations of the world were laid bare.


From on high he reached me and seized me;

He drew me forth from the mighty waters.

(Verses from Psalm 18, The Revised Grail Psalms)