Life Can be Tough

I seem to be getting an increasing number of desperate requests for prayer coming through the website from the US, and they're to do with people struggling to pay their rent or mortgage. A quick look on Google came up with what seem to me to be frightening statistics:

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, estimates that there will be 1.8 million foreclosed homes in the United States this year, and that the numbers will be even higher in 2011. Moody's estimates that foreclosures should peak next year at 2.1 million, Zandi said...

Now I know the US is a big place, but 2 million individuals or families losing their home each year is a figure I find hard to comprehend, because of course it's not only the losing of a home, it's the debt that has built up and cannot be repaid, the depression and family stresses at this upheaval... the list goes on. It's not just a problem in the US of course, but the figures are proportionally higher there.

And mostly because the banks were too eager to lend for profit, too irresponsible in not checking out people's ability to pay for these debts, and people were greedy enough to tell the banks 'No problem, I can afford those monthly repayments!'


But that's human nature, I guess!

Lord, be with those who are desperate
Desperate to save their homes
Desperate to save their marriages
Desperate to save their jobs
Desperate to save their sanity
Desperate to save their pride
Bring them hope
Bring them help
Bring them comfort
and bring them peace