My mind is clouded with smoke. Embers of sadness pull at me, while the miserably hot, windy days continue to come and go.
Colorado is aflame.
The images of trees exploding instantly into flame haunt me. Evacuation orders for entire towns make my stomach churn with worry. And the images of over 250 homeless families, sleeping on makeshift cots, displaced with only ashes remaining of their homes and their entire life’s belongings makes my heart hurt.
Entire tracts of land, mountains and hills left with only a black, ashy scar of what once was. Trees, grass and wildlife only a distant memory now, something we will not see recover in our lifetimes.
All I can offer is a prayer for rain. I have no other option but to beg Him to quietly send moisture to fall upon our dry land, calming the smoke, the flames and the hurt.
Dear Lord,
Bless us with some relief from the drought, the fires and the smoke
That threaten these places we love, Oh Lord.
Cover this burning land with a blanket of your clouds,
Releasing raindrops to give life back to this dry land,
Let their cool wetness calm the smoke, the flames and the hurt in our hearts.
Fill our rivers, from trickles to streams again.
Quell the winds, even momentarily, to deflect the flames
To push them back in their tracks, instead of hurtling them forward.
Provide us with tools to put the roar of these fires out.
Bless, Oh Lord, those families who find themselves homeless,
Empty, heartbroken with loss and overwhelmed,
Give them hope that You will provide for them those things they need.
Bless them with sweet memories of their homes and land
And give them a sense of peace and renewal,
To face each new day with strength, courage
And gratitude for even the smallest of blessings along the way.
Watch over those fighting on the front lines,
Bless them with cool relief in the face of a scalding enemy,
Bless them with rest to reinvigorate them to continue fighting,
Bless them with hope that their fight is not in vain,
And as impossible as it may seem, give them faith that it is possible.
Hold them closely and keep them safe, Oh Lord, in their battles.
And with the fast fury of the flames approaching,
Remind us of Your powerful presence, and Your ability to calm them.
With the tall, billowing plumes of smoke,
Remind us of the hope You give us for the future.
With the temporary quieting of hot, unrelenting winds,
Remind us that all things are possible through You.
And with the feeling of overwhelming loss,
Remind us that all things grow again through you, Oh Lord.
Bloom: 
…and I’ll add my prayer to yours, in hopes that they travel straight to heaven. They have to. Thinking of you, and your neighbors, and your beautiful part of the country. xo
Thanks, my friend.
Amen. I hope you get some rain very soon – a lot of it.
Yes, yes. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for sure.
So sad to hear how bad it is out there…it doesn’t become real until one hears it from one you know…I will remember your words in my prayers….
Thanks so much. I hate these hot, dry summers where even rain clouds on the horizon start to make you nervous for the lightning they may bring as well.
How close are you to the fires? Are you in any danger?
No, thank you for asking! I’m 250+ miles away, but it sure does hit home that these fires can happen anywhere. Really scary.
Glad to hear you’re safe…
Glad to hear you’re safe…
and your gardens too!!
We have been battling the same demons in New Mexico, yet we hear of the terrible flooding in Florida. Perhaps, a sharing of the load, as it were, would benefit all three of these states. Let us share in the downpour of rain to squelch the fires and may their horrid mud slides subside.
Nature is a very funny thing. God does control it all.
Much love,
Aunt Kathy
You so prophetically have posited our dilema!!!
Yes you have. Aren’t they just devastating? We definitely could use some of Florida’s rain right about now. No campfires for the Kings’ visit 😦 Maybe we’ll have to enjoy some indoor s’mores from the microwave (do those count?!)
Amen!
Thanks for visiting!
We’ve got a crazy storm passed through New York today. I wish we could have shared with you, guys, all the water that fell on us… We are praying for you here.
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Thanks so much for visting and the link!
This post brought me to tears, please be safe. I pray for peace for all those displaced, fighting, tired…
“Remind us of the hope You give us for the future” beautiful!
J
Hi Jess — luckily I am physically a distance away from most of them (for the time being.) But the largest one in our state’s history is burning near the city where I went to college, such a dear place that holds so many memories. It’s tough to think of what that community is facing right now. Thanks for your prayers, my friend.
The rain on the pine looked so inviting and beautiful. What I would give to see that in person during these horribly hot, dry, flammable days in our forests. Thank you for the prayer.
Stay safe! It just breaks my heart and makes me feel sick. We’ll keep praying . . .
Oh Dear KT … this just brings tears to my eyes. Your words in prayer for hydration for the state of Colorado … just makes us realize how much is beyond direct control, and how much we need to combine our energies collectively to pray for the good of this planet. I do think words and focussed attention like this is very powerful, and will join you today in praying for the rains to descend, and the people of your state to be led through this crisis safely. Once again, your poetic heartfelt style of writing inspires and touches hearts KT… it is a gift and you are sharing it so generously…Much Love ~ RL
So, so true Robyn. We do sometimes forget the overall good of the planet in our comfortable little worlds. Thanks for your prayers. Some of the pictures from the Waldo Canyon fire near (basically IN) Colorado Springs were just sickening. Entire neighborhoods on fire — my heart just breaks. We’ll keep praying for rain! Thanks so much for your kind words.
I will also keep praying… just all seems so unfair, and frightening. Please stay safe KT ~ xo
Hoping,praying and wishing for rain and an end. Heart breaking doesn’t even begin to describe how this feels, looking from the outside so far away and feeling completely helpless. Thank you for sharing your beautiful words while all this ugly rages on.
Thanks for your prayers. I just had a friend that reported she had seen a bear on the interstate that had been hit and killed near the new fire that’s burning a little closer to home. A place where I wouldn’t ever even think to see a bear. But so many different things are being displaced and truly losing their homes, not just people. They’re having a pretty tremendous effect in our state this year. 😦
Joining in your prayers for rain over there.
I will pray. Last year my area of Texas was aflame by wildfires. We lost an officer from our department while patrolling a neighborhood for looters. He had a stroke caused from exhaustion. I pray for the people fighting the fires and those keeping everyone safe.
Thanks for your prayers. Thankfully it seems most of the big ones are all under control now — thank goodness. Where are you in Texas? I’m glad to hear that you’re not having to deal with fires this year. And how sad to have lost someone to the effects of those fires. We did get a little rain over the past week, we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for more to come.
While we are dry here, the fires in Montana aren’t close to us or as bad as they are down there. We are praying for you guys. And yes, lightning this time of year is scary, it burnt down our one haystack two weeks ago. Thankfully that hay was in the middle of an irrigated field. Prayers friend.
Oh gosh, how scary. Thankfully most of the big ones are under control now, and believe it or not . . .we actually saw some rain over the past week. We had almost forgotten what that stuff was that falls from the sky!
Hope all is well and that you finally got some cooler weather.