Adrenaline pulses through my veins. I’m overcome simultaneously with terror, anger, and agony. Watching the breaking news of another school shooting, this time in Winder, Georgia, with casualties of defenseless children, I’m reminded again of the horror of evil.
My mind races to my three boys. Our routine school drop-offs will be a bit harder tomorrow morning. Ushering my kids out of the car at 7:55 a.m., I’ll think of the parents who did that for the last time this week. The pain of those grieving today is difficult to even imagine.
What words can I possibly utter? As I lead our church, what can we pray as we witness this same tragedy yet again? How does the gospel inform these dark moments? As I drop to my knees in prayer, my mind turns to five places in Scripture that guide our cries to our heavenly Father.
1. ‘How long, O Lord?’
In Psalm 13, David cries out to God in his lament. His grief is overwhelming; he feels forgotten by the Lord. As his enemy exalts over him, sorrow consumes his heart “all the day.”
And yet the beauty of this psalm is that David’s pain leads him to prayer. He chooses to take his complaint to God. He’ll place his trust in God’s covenantal love and salvation.
With every news report of young lives being taken, we fall before our God in mourning. With every senseless act of violence, we declare God is still trustworthy. With every cry of grief, we rightly ask, “How long, O Lord?”
With every news report of young lives being taken, we fall before our God in mourning.
2. ‘Be near.’
As Christians, we ought to be the first to mourn with the families of the victims. We weep with those who weep. Watching news reports of another set of names, pictures, and stories leaves us aching for those who are crushed, afflicted, and brokenhearted.
Scripture puts words to their pain, reminding us that “the LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Ps. 34:18). We’re right to turn in prayer to the Great Comforter, asking that he’d be near to these families in their anguish.
3. ‘Preserve us, O God.’
Fear and powerlessness are instinctive in these moments. What can a parent possibly do in light of such wickedness?
We can and we must take steps to combat such evil. But my hope for my children isn’t in the newest safety procedures, the response time of law enforcement, or the safety of our suburban town. My hope isn’t in my ability to protect them from potential evil.
Instead, my hope must rest with our God who in complete sovereignty protects his children. Tonight, we cry out with the psalmist, “Preserve [us], O God, for in you [we] take refuge” (Ps. 16:1).
4. ‘Father, forgive them.’
If the other prayers felt impossible, this one is otherworldly. It’s no coincidence that this week I’ve been studying Luke 6, where Christ tells his disciples to “love [their] enemies”, to “pray for those who abuse [them],” and to “forgive.” When we watch the news, these enemies seem more identifiable than ever. How can we possibly pray for them? What radical love is this?
Then I remember that Christ models what he commands. On the cross, Christ looked at those committing violent evil against him and prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Only radically gospel-oriented love could look beyond the moment to pray for those who pursue such gross evil. We must join Christ in this prayer.
5. ‘Come, Lord Jesus.’
John ends the book of Revelation with the aching cry of our hearts. After gazing upon the coming and complete victory of King Jesus, John prays for Christ’s arrival to hasten: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20). My heart joins with John’s—Christ must come!
In the face of senseless violence, Christians have an enduring hope unlike the world around us. We look to a future where Christ redeems this world with a new heavens and new earth, rescuing his people from the brokenness and wickedness of sin. Scripture teaches us to hope for this future day with anticipation and to hasten it by prayer. Together we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, come!”
The Gospel Coalition