Eastern Orthodox prayers for inclement weather and a prayer on this Day of Remembering.

[I am experiencing such great sadness today.]


+A Prayer in the Face of Inclement Weather+

O Master, Lord our God, Who through Thy consubstantial Word, Who is without beginning, and Thy life-giving Spirit, Who is equal in honor, hast brought everything out of nothingness into being; Who hast set sandy barriers to the sea, and hast weighed the mountains and the valleys in a balance; Who hast measured the skies and holds the water in the palm of Thy hand; Who hast given to this visible world of the senses its law and rules, its harmony and order; Who hast appointed changes to the weather and variations in the orbit of the sun; Who, through the mingling of the elements, holds all things together by Thine inexpressible power and keeps them free from harm and intact: Do Thou Thyself, all-good King, extending to us Thine innate and customary love and goodness, visit the work of Thy hands. Do not deprive us of Thy mercies and Thy compassion, and do not destroy Thine inheritance, for Thou hast ineffably created us in Thine own image.

Thou hast given Thine only-begotten Son as a ransom for us, and through the mystical communion of Thy Spirit hast made us share in Thine own divinity; forgive, we pray, the multitude of our sins in the far greater multitude, of Thy mercies. Thou didst wash away the sins of humanity through the Cross and the Blood of Thy Son. Restore the world of nature, which has been grievously disturbed into an unnatural state, and restore it to its natural harmony and order. Make the great ocean return to its usual calmness, bring to end the tempest and the disturbance of the elements that threaten us, order the winds to blow once more with gentleness and moderation. Rebuke the raging of the sea and the unnatural violence of the gales; let the storm be stilled and the tempest return to tranquility, through the intercession of the most blessed Lady Theotokos, of all the Angels and Saints, and the good pleasure and love of Thine only-begotten Son, with Whom Thou are blessed, together with Thine all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.


+O LORD JESUS CHRIST HAVE MERCY ON US SINNERS!+

As you saved your apostles from perishing in a storm by calming wind and waves on you command, so now keep us safe and sound in this hurricane season. Grant us favorable and benign weather. Protect us from the unpredictable elements of nature. Steer us from storm, flood, fire, illness, injury, disaster and sudden death. Preserve us from all evil and harm for we, though sinful, are nonetheless the work of Your hands. And You together with your Father who has no beginning and Your all holy good and life giving Spirit are our God in whom we live, move, and have being. Now and ever and unto ages and ages. Amen.


+MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS SAVE US!+

Seeing how your holy and powerful maternal intercessions and safe haven for the storm tossed, count us worthy of your prayers during this season of uncertain and threatening weather. Ask your divine human Son to grant us mercy, forgiveness, health, safety and salvation over the coming months. For He is sure to listen to you, His mother, the woman whom all generations call blessed. Amen.


+ALL HOLY PROPHET ELIAS!+

As the Lord gave you control over droughts and rainfall to prove His power to the wayward and unbelieving, plead with Him to keep stormy weather, heavy rains and destructive winds away from us. Help us with your heavenly intercessions for we know the prayer of a righteous man like you is powerful and effective as God is wondrous in His Saints. Amen.


+HOLY FATHER HERMAN OF ALASKA!+

While you were alive on Earth, your prayers kept your spiritual children safe from tidal surge and forest fire and after your death your heavenly intercessions calmed stormy seas saving Saintly Bishop Innocent from peril. Do not less for us in your fatherly love for your adopted land. Implore your Master to safeguard for us from such dangers too for we know God is wondrous in his Saints. Amen.


+HOLY ST. JOHN OF SAN FRANCISCO!+

During your earthly sojourn in the Philippines, your prayers kept typhoons at bay from your flock. Brace us living in the land where your wonder working relics rest with your heavenly intercessions as well. Appeal to the Ruler of All for our reprieve from such hazard and menace. For we know God is wondrous in his Saints. Amen.
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Today is the 17th anniversary of those tragic events that unfolded on September 11, 2001. I am thankful for our Orthodox faith where we have these rich prayers to pray when we don't have the words ourselves. Below is a beautiful prayer written by His Grace, Bishop Basil of Wichita of the Antiochian Archdiocese:

+++O Lord our God, Who art Thyself, the Hope of the hopeless, the Help of the helpless, the Savior of the storm-tossed, the Haven of the voyager, the Physician of the sick; be all things to our land which seventeen years ago on this date was devastated by the cowardly and +hateful acts of false martyrs; who imitated wicked Herod in his slaughter of 14,000 innocents, whose only crime was to be born at the time of Thine incarnation. For those who lost loved ones, grant the comfort you imparted to the Mary and Martha before you raised Lazarus and care for them as Thou didst care for Thy Mother from the Cross, putting her in the care of the Apostle John. For the survivors, grant them healing in every sense, as you strengthened and healed the confessors. For those related to and aiding the survivors and the families of the fallen, grant the strength and compassion Thou didst instill in Thy foster father Joseph, who was Thy guardian in Thine earthly youth. For those who died, grant them remission of their every sin in Thy great compassion; both those who like the wise servant and the wise virgins, constantly prepared themselves to enter the heavenly banquet at any hour; and those who emulated the Rich Fool, preferring to enjoy earthly pursuits and ignore heavenly ones. To the rest of us, instill in us the knowledge that while the devil still manipulates our Divinely-given free will to his own ends in this world, his power is fleeting and ultimately void, as Thou hast already crushed his dominion, leaving to him only those who freely choose him. Remind us that, while evil at times seems to win, and the death of the innocent seems to signal the destruction of goodness, the innocent are at peace, and while the God-fearing will endure a period of torment; those who choose evil shall endure eternal torment. For those who hate us, speak to their hearts as St. Procla sought to speak to her husband Pilate concerning Thee, and as Thou didst speak to Pharoah concerning the Hebrews, to soften the hearts of those who seek our destruction. Spare us O Lord, from us all hatred of the murderers, and from prejudice toward those whose only crime is to be of their ethnicity and/or religion. Spare us, O Lord, from paranoia and rash acts by which we trample each other like rabid beasts. Spare, O Lord, those who protect us, those who serve in our government, armed forces, law enforcement agencies and all first responders, from despondency, disillusionment, and all things which would undermine their righteous calling to protect us in the manner of our Guardian Angels, and care for us in the manner of the Good Samaritan. All this we ask of Thee our all-powerful and all-loving Saviour, together with Thine unorginate Father, and Thine all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.+++