SENTINEL WATCH January 31, 2005 Issue

Watching South Asia—with prayer

By Rosalie E. Dunbar

As I'm writing this, a large part of the world is transfixed by reports from Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, where the December tsunami struck hardest. One's heart goes out to those who live in the countries directly affected as well as to the thousands of families elsewhere who lost loved ones visiting the area.

Individual financial contributions are one way people are helping. It's also possible — and vital — to contribute through prayer in support of the rescue workers, the families, and the nations whose economies and social structures have been affected. Such "prayer at a distance" comforts the one praying, and it also shines the light of God's all-powerful love on those in need. It transcends distance and international borders.

Even when reports are upsetting and things seem hopeless, it's still important to pray. A tiny example came into my own life just a couple of days before Christmas. An acquaintance called to tell me that his wife had passed on a few months previously. She and I had known each other through organizations to which we both belonged, but my contact with her in recent years had been reduced to Christmas greetings.