Prayer for the Umpqua Community College family

Lord God in heaven, we’ve witnessed this scene way too many times already. The school shooting last week in Oregon leaves another community devastated by grief and sorrow. And though we’re separated by 2,000 miles we feel the heartache of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors who are staggering in sadness from such a senseless act of murder.

But God, it’s almost beginning to numb our conscience. The news hardly surprises us anymore. We’re not losing any sleep over this. There are other stories to cover. The Umpqua community will deal with their loss and move on. And soon we’ll hear of another deranged madman killing children in some other school somewhere else. 

I’m asking you, Father, to please keep our hearts compassionate for those who are suffering. It’s been reported that these victims were targeted for their Christian faith. They are brothers and sisters in Christ who were not ashamed to declare their trust in Jesus, even when it meant they would die. Thank you for giving them the courage to honor You with their dying breath. May You reward them richly for their sacrifice. 

Let us, as a church, not fail to weep with those who weep and suffer together with those who suffer. As one body in Christ may we encourage them and care for them in their time of need. Father, I pray that Your grace will be sufficient in their weakness. I pray that Your strength will help them and that You will uphold them with Your righteous right hand. I pray, O God, that You, the Great Shepherd, will lead them by Your goodness and mercy, that You will comfort them with Your protection and provision, and as they walk through this valley of the shadow of death, may they know that You are with them to comfort them every step of the way. 

O Lord, our Rock of Refuge, our Shelter in the Storm, our Strong Tower and Mighty Deliverer, we pray further believing that You will somehow work this evil out for good. May salvation arise from the desolation. May beauty rise from the ashes. May joy come in the morning and dancing replace the sorrow. Lord God, for what You are doing and will keep doing to bring healing and hope and peace to those who seek Your face, we praise You and give You thanks. It just may be, Father, that multitudes turn away from sin and come to faith in Jesus through this tragedy. May it be so. Amen. 

Abba, our Father, we live in a broken, sinful world, full of anger, hatred, confusion, chaos, and despair. We confess that we have brought judgment on ourselves because we have rejected Your commands. We have gone away, like sheep, and turned to our own ways. We have stubbornly rebelled and chased after the desires of our evil hearts, and all the while refused to listen to Your voice calling us back to the paths of righteousness. And our nation lies in ruins. 

Jesus, You are our only hope! We don’t need new laws. We don’t need band-aid solutions that mask the underlying problems. We need major surgery. We need a heart transplant. We need to recognize our sin, confess it and repent, and return to You before it’s too late. O God Almighty, I am pleading with You to drive us to our knees, seeking Your face and turning from our wicked ways. O Lord, make us desperate as we pray, desperate for Your help, desperate for Your presence, desperate for Your salvation. 

Apart from You, Lord Jesus, we are sunk. We’re seeing the ship sinking deeper and deeper as we take our eyes off of You. But Your Word gives me hope, and my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus, our Savior and King. For our nation, for our communities, for our children and their families, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.