“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Creator and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who draws near to all who suffer.

It is with deep sorrow that we in the World Communion of Reformed Churches have learned of the catastrophic flash flood that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on 26 August 2026. A glacial and rock collapse high in the Himalaya sent a wall of mud, ice, and water crashing down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river valleys into Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan, and neighbouring districts. We have followed the reports with shock and sadness: several hundred people have died, with the toll still rising, and close to a thousand more remain missing or unaccounted for. Many more have been injured, displaced, or have lost their homes, land, and livelihoods.

Our hearts are heavy, and we hold this tragedy before God in lament. We grieve with you. We do not come with easy words, for there are none for a loss of this magnitude. We are deeply troubled by the increasing climate catastrophes and the way they disproportionately wreak havoc on communities with significantly smaller carbon footprints.

We remain in solidarity with the people of Nepal, in prayer and in action. As our Reformed tradition has long confessed, we are called to be witnesses to the God of life, who stands with all who suffer and calls us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

Let us join together across our global communion, united in prayer for Nepal.

A Prayer for the People of Nepal

Gracious God, Source of all life,

We come before you with heavy hearts, grieving for our sisters and brothers in Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region who have suffered so greatly. In this time of catastrophic loss, we cry out to you who are “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

We pray for the grieving families, those who have lost loved ones in this disaster. Their grief is beyond words. May they know that their loved ones and their sorrow are not forgotten by you or by the wider human family. Hold them in your tender care, and let them sense your comforting presence.

We pray for the missing, for the parents, children, pilgrims, and travellers whose families still wait for news. We ask that search and rescue teams may yet bring answers, and that your presence may sustain families through the anguish of not knowing.

We pray for the injured, and for those who have lost their homes, their land, their animals, and their livelihoods in these remote mountain valleys. Assure them that they are not alone and not forgotten, however far from the world’s attention their villages may seem.

We give thanks for the courage and endurance of the first responders, the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police; the pilots and crews of the helicopters flying into treacherous mountain terrain; and the volunteers, health workers, local leaders, and ordinary neighbours who, often at great personal risk, have searched the debris, carried the wounded, and comforted the grieving.

We also hold in our prayers the communities across the border in the Tibet Autonomous Region, who share with us in this sorrow.

Amen.

Photo: WCC/ Albin Hillert