It breaks my heart to be posting this prayer yet again in the face of another mass shooting. The school shooting in Parkland, Florida marks the 29th mass shooting in the US in 2018, in just 45 days.
Yes, we need to pray.
The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
But we must not stop there. James 2:14-17 reminds us
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.Prayer changes things and changes us. It calls us, leads us, and empowers us to join Jesus in his saving work.
It is time to pray and to act
To seek God’s wisdom and empowerment to respond
To call on God for peace
and to care for bodies before they are zipped into body bags.
This Lenten season I invite you to break from the usual custom of fasting or other form of self-denial and, instead, to fast from apathy. That means you set aside all your noncaring attitudes and move closer to the caring love of God. Even in its mildest form, apathy is a spiritual illness. The cure for apathy is also a spiritual one. … We must move from prayer to action.
– George Hovaness Donigian, A World Worth Saving
How are you responding in prayer and action? – Lisa <
Psalm 46:1 NRSV
God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble
God our Refuge, calm our hearts when evil abounds
They run to lonesome places, screaming an alarm
Calm our hearts so we can find you above the fear
God our Strength, calm our hearts when evil abounds
They race to revenge, pounding with anger
Calm our hearts so we can hear you above the hammering
God our Help, calm our hearts when evil abounds
They rush to human strength, grasping for control
Calm our hearts so we can hold to your way, your truth, and your life
Calm our hearts so they may beat in unison with yours
So healing may flow over bodies and spirits broken by the chaos
So hope may fill families and communities devastated by violence
So compassion and peace and unity may rise up among all people
God our Strength, our Refuge, our Help
We entrust our lives to you
We step forward with you in your saving work
Amen
Be sure to also check out Sarah Bessey’s Breath Prayers for Anxious Times. Grounded in scripture. Centering. Honest.
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Prayer for Violent Times © 2013 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.
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As a teacher and a follower of Christ, this post hits so close to home. It seems as if everyone is willing to send out prayers and “warm thoughts”, but to engage in meaningful dialogue that results in changed laws and behavior takes so much work. I agree that apathy is a spiritual enemy. I was inspired by your thoughts in claiming abstaining from that this Lenten season.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Julie and for your many years of service as a terrific teacher. It’s great to hear from you. Many blessings to you and your boys.