The news of the Hill Country flood is heartbreaking. Having served as a pastor in the area for nearly forty years, I know the Guadalupe River well. Retreats. Camps. Conferences. Baptism Services. Weekend getaways. I’ve experienced them all. We’ve loved the area and its fine people.
The angry Guadalupe took so much from so many. The death toll is over 100 people and many are still missing. Right now we need to come together to pray and keep praying. Would you join me in this holy assignment?
First, let us:
Lament Our Loss
Our Heavenly Father, we acknowledge our pain, we face our sorrows.
We lament, as did those in scripture who taught us to be honest about our hurts, about our sorrows. “Out of the depths, I cry to you” (Psalm 130:1 NIV). Sometimes we cry out to you from the mountaintops, sometimes we cry out from the valley. In this moment, we are in the valley. Our hearts are broken. To think of those young girls asleep in a Camp Mystic cabin, to think of those grandparents who were separated from their grandchildren, to think of the people who lost their lives in the middle of the night, caught up in such a torrent of water and such a rush of fear. Oh Lord, have mercy. It heavies our hearts to think of the parents who no longer have their children and the families forever altered by this event.
We turn to you, Jesus, because we know that while you walked on this earth, you felt the weight of earthly sadness. We look to you, knowing that we do not have a Savior who is unable to understand, but we follow a “man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3 TLV).
And Lord, even as we struggle, we then turn and declare our faith. We:
Lean Into Our Faith
While we grieve, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Our questions are many and our doubts are present, but deep within our souls is a conviction that says: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV). Indeed, Heavenly Father, our eyes are on you. And we declare — loud enough for the devil himself to hear — that we still believe. We believe and we stand shoulder-to-shoulder, heart-to-heart with those who are struggling now to keep their balance.
Lord, we believe you created every detail of history. We believe in your imminent return. We believe the day is soon coming in which you will split the skies and you will call your church into your presence. Heavenly Father, let even this tragedy be used to declare your goodness. Let us be reminded of the brevity and the frailty of life and let us stand strong upon the foundation of Jesus Christ.
And then lastly, Lord, having acknowledged our sorrow and having conveyed our convictions, we offer our intercessions. We:
Lift Up Our Requests
Heavenly Father, we recall the promise of Psalm 23 that, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with us and your rod and your staff, they comfort us. Heavenly Father, we cling to your presence as we pass through this seemingly endless valley.
We cry out to you for the families in Texas today. The shock, the sorrow, the questions. Why him? Why her? Why now? Why us? Tragedies such as this stir unspeakable hurt and unanswerable questions. Each passing second takes with it a grain of hope.
Ease their pain. Give them uncommon strength during this unimaginable season. Send miracles and supernatural signs that remind them that you are with them. Whisper to them. Shout to them. Put your arm around them. Be with the siblings of those who were lost. Bless the grandparents. Comfort the camp staff. Bolster the ones who cannot stop blaming themselves. And please, please, comfort the parents. We stand with them in this hour of unspeakable, soul-rending loss.
Please be with the rescuers, the first responders, the volunteers, the police officers, the fire medics, the canine research teams, the local ministers, the funeral home directors, the trauma therapists — all those who have come to serve, and to grieve with South Texas.
Hear the prayers of all those who pray. Remind us all that death is not really death. It is a passage from this difficult life into the wonderful life that you have prepared for us. Remind us of this truth: even when the floods come and the earth shakes, you are mighty in the midst of it all. Our Father, we trust in you.
Through Christ we pray, amen.
Since entering the ministry in 1978, Max Lucado has served churches in Miami, Florida; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and San Antonio, Texas. He currently serves as the teaching minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. He is the recipient of the 2021 ECPA Pinnacle Award for his outstanding contribution to the publishing industry and society at large. He is America's bestselling inspirational author with more than 150 million products in print. Visit his website at MaxLucado.com.
