PRAYER: THE AID THAT GETS THROUGH

By Sushil Likhi

AS I WRITE, news reports inform us that more than 35,000 people have lost their lives in Pakistan, and more than 1,300 in India, since the devastating earthquake on October 8. Those who survived are carrying the loss of their loved ones and have no place to live. In a moment, they found themselves all alone in a severely cold climate, with everything belonging to them dumped under debris. Many have lost their family members and are hurt. Their immediate needs continue to be for food, drinking water, warm clothing, and shelter, in addition to facilities to treat the injured. Such is the heartrending tragedy faced by people of Kashmir and adjoining areas on either side of the Line of Control (LOC), between India and Pakistan.

After such a calamity, people have so many questions on their mind. Was God there? Why this sudden devastation? How will people manage the rest of their life? I have been praying to find answers to these questions, as have many people in the rest of the world.

I still remember the earthquake jerks I received in Chandigarh, about 1,000 kilometers [625 miles] from the epicenter. Nothing seemed to be stable. Instead of blaming God for the earthquake, I prayed, and I began to feel that God is the only power and that He has control over the whole universe. I felt confident that I could experience His infinite goodness. Understanding that God is good and God is Love — in other words, that there is no evil in God, or from God, in the form of destructive earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods — brings us under His protection and loving care. Our Father-Mother loves each one of us irrespective of our religion, cast, or creed. His love is impartial and universal, and protects the identity of each one of us, even those who are no longer with us.