God, our refuge, our ever-present help in trouble,
your promises hold true. This we know.
This we pray:
For the widow. The refugee. The orphan.
Those who are too weak, too tired, too broken to cry out to you.
When mountains shake, when leaders fail,
When all seems absolutely, irretrievably, impossibly lost,
You enter.
We thank you for your presence. We pray for your deliverance.
Your eyes are on the righteous. Your ears are attentive to their cry.
You are close to the brokenhearted.
You save those crushed in spirit. You rescue your servants.
And still, lest we forget all those who, suffering today,
Will still be in this moment a week, a month, a year from now,
Remind us to pray.
For the widow. The refugee. The orphan.
That your promises still hold true.
You are still our help in trouble, ever present, our refuge,
Our God.
Amen.
(Larissa Peters, Catholic Relief Services)