Pray for India and Pakistan

Preface: This post is in no way trying to undermine the great tragedy that those in the gulf have experienced through the devastation of Katrina. I am just struggling with how to view the tragedy of Katrina in light of the newest devastations around the world. Death toll of Katrina: 1193, the last I heard. Horrible, horrible tragedy. May God be with those people who have lost everything including loved ones.

I was left speechless when I heard about the 7.7 earthquake that demolished India and Pakistan yesterday. I am also left wondering why I haven't heard more about it. The death toll is up to 30,000. Wow. How will America respond? And it saddens me to think about how regular of an occurence this kind of thing is. To borrow an idea from Hotel Rawanda, people see it on the news and think, "Oh how sad" and go back to eating their breakfast. How would it be different if it was America that was cleaning up in the aftermath of this earthquake? If America had lost 30,000 people? I think the more important question I should be asking is how will the Church respond? Should the church's aid and concern lie solely now with those victims in the gulf or should they also be resting with victims in India and Pakistan? And what about the 1400 dead in Guatemala after the mudslide? The people are the same in the eyes of God. Their tragedy is every bit as real as America's.

Of course how the church responds to overseas tragedies I am not sure. God, be with these people in their suffering and in their grief. Be with those who are left to clean up the mess. Lay it on the heart of your church to be Your presence in the midst of this.