How to Pray in the Face of a Hurricane

Last week a tropical storm, Elsa, passed through our area.  It wasn't a direct hit, in fact, Elsa didn't make landfall until she was quite a bit north of us.  At one point in her journey she was a category one hurricane, but off our coast, "just" a tropical storm.

Fortunately here, at least, she didn't leave a lot of damage in her wake.  We did have some flooding in neighboring areas due to a great amount of rain, and some minor debris on the roadways and in people yards from the winds.  But really, nothing overwhelming.

Every time we have a tropical storm or a hurricane that could make landfall where we live there is a fairly long buildup in the days, sometimes week, ahead.  As it crosses the Atlantic, as it moves through the Caribbean, we hear any number of updates and warnings.  At times the buildup is worse than the storm itself.  Sort of like anticipating a visit to the dentist.

Every time we are in the so-called cone of concern, and often even before that, I find myself fairly torn.  I clearly do not want to be caught in the midst of such a  storm.  But I also worry about other places it might go.  No, I say, as if I could actually speak to it, don't come here!  Stay away!  But even as I do so, I realize that means it may go elsewhere.  Does New Orleans need another hurricane?  

Obviously what i hope for is that it will run out of steam along the way, dissipate, simply vanish from the weather maps altogether.  And sometimes that happens as well.  But when it doesn't I never pray that it doesn't hit us--because the backside of that prayer may mean disaster for someone else.  What I can and do pray for is that we all might be prepared for whatever comes, and that we all will have the courage and the compassion to respond in whatever ways are best.  

I suppose that's a pretty good pray on sunny days as well.