[Today's Prayer] 'Giant volcanic ash' soared 10km… Flights to Bali canceled due to Indonesian volcano eruption

As the Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano in eastern Indonesia recently erupted on a large scale, flights are being canceled one after another at many airports, including Bali International Airport, due to volcanic ash.

According to Reuters and AFP, the Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano, located in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara Province, erupted at 5:35 p.m. local time on the 17th, spewing a thick column of volcanic ash that reached a height of about 10km (32,800 feet).

According to the Indonesian Geological Agency, this eruption was much more active than usual, with more than 50 eruptions observed over a period of two hours. The volcanic ash was in the form of a mushroom-shaped cloud, and was visible to the naked eye from up to 150km away from the volcano.

The Indonesian Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) raised the volcano alert level to the highest level 4 based on strong seismic activity including deep volcanic activity, and designated the area within an 8km radius of the crater as a danger zone and recommended evacuation for residents.

No deaths have been reported so far, but the roads of two villages around the volcano are covered with ash, gravel, and sand, making access difficult.

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Source: Yonhap News

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob. 8 He struck the rock into a pool of water, and the flint into a spring of water. (Psalm 114:7-8)

We hear that the Laki-laki volcano in eastern Indonesia has erupted on a large scale, covering villages with volcanic ash, and that residents of villages around the volcano are also being advised to evacuate.

Lord, disasters and calamities are accelerating due to environmental changes all over the world. Lord, the Lord who rules over all things and oversees all things, we lift up to you the disaster of the volcanic eruption in Indonesia and ask for your mercy and grace.

Please be a refuge for all the Indonesian families who have been evacuated after experiencing the unexpected volcanic eruption, and guide them to quickly return to their daily lives. Lord, who rules over all things in heaven and earth with your word, command the volcano to be quiet, so that no more volcanic damage can occur.

We pray for the Indonesian church to go forward with prayer and service to provide practical help to the Indonesians whose homes have been destroyed by the disaster, and so that the Lord’s love and hand of salvation can reach all the families affected by the volcano.

Also, when the global church remembers and serves the land of Indonesia, may the countless lost souls who do not know Jesus Christ in Indonesia, the land of the world’s largest Muslim population, quickly come to you! May life be delivered faster than death in the last days, so that the gospel can be spread quickly in Indonesia! So now, may Indonesia rise up as the King's Army, spreading the name of Jesus Christ, the only hope, along the Asian Highway!