Excerpts from a Devotional on Climate Change
(Via Bread for the World)
This installment of Prayers to End Hunger is excerpted from Rev. Dr. Neddy Astudillo’s devotional on climate change in Finding Hope, Ending Hunger on Both Sides of the Border: A Bilingual Latino Devotional.
From the early scripture passages (Genesis 2:15) to the last (Revelation 11:18), we hear a call and warning to care for God’s creation (Psalm 24:1). When we disrespect this call, the harmonious order under which God created life is threatened, and all creatures suffer the consequences (Jeremiah 14:2-7). Although the story of Joseph (Genesis 37, 40-41), and the dreams of the Pharaoh of Egypt does not speak of a climate crisis like the one we face today, it certainly describes the reality of a region that will face major climate shifts.
Like Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, climate scientists today have interpreted climate data and warn us about coming fluctuations in temperatures, stronger storms, longer droughts, and floods. These are already affecting the planet’s biodiversity and the livelihoods of the most vulnerable human communities. The next few years are a critical time for the global community to adopt policies that put humanity on a path to ending hunger while averting catastrophic damage to the planet. Let us pray:
God of Creation:
In your infinite wisdom and limitless love, you created the Earth — a magnificent planet teeming with life.
Just as you equipped Joseph with the spiritual gifts necessary to protect the lives of thousands, equip us so that through our actions to protect the lives of the most vulnerable communities against climate change, the world gets to know your kindness and your glory. Amen