Prayer for the victims of the Tsunami - By Rabbi Alexandra Wright

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, Where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, And the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying; My throat is parched.

My eyes grow dim With waiting for my God (Psalm 69.)1

Eternal One, our Rock and our Refuge, You are the source of our trust and our salvation. To you we turn with gratitude and thanksgiving for the blessings in our own lives, but with thoughts and prayers for those whose lives were poured out like water in the tsunami of December 26th 2004. We think of those who died in far off countries and islands around the Indian Ocean, of those who lost all that was precious and dear to them, family, friends, villages, homes and possessions, of those whose lives are now blighted with loss, suffering, disease and poverty and who cry out to You:  Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck, deliver me for there is no foothold, the flood sweeps over me, I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched, my eyes grow dim (from Psalm 69:1).-3

O God, do not be far from those who cry out to You: guide us in all that we undertake on their behalf. As You deliver the needy when they call, may we respond with generosity and compassion; as You have pity on the weak and the poor, so may we help save the lives of those in danger, alleviate their suffering and bring hope and help to all those who have survived and must rebuild their lives. You are our God who rules the raging seas, whose waves rise and You still them and in You shall be our faithfulness and steadfast love, for You are our God and the Rock of our salvation.