Lord, our hearts are breaking.

Another day, another senseless tragedy.

Too many, too young, too soon.

This shooting is an unwelcome reminder of how sick our society has become.

God, You are perfect Love. We know You did not create us to kill each other.

Please protect us from beginning to see this kind of violence as inevitable.

Give us faith in Your vision for a better future.

Help us to realize on a deep level how connected we are, so we care enough to begin the work of creating a more peaceful world.

Wake us up.

Fan the flames of Your love in us, and fill our hearts with compassion for the victims. Help us stand in solidarity with their loved ones through the long road of healing they will endure.

Shape our hearts with Your mercy for the perpetrator, even as we seek justice. Only You know the wounds that could lead one of Your children to such a horrific action; give us the strength to forgive.

Shine Your light on the cultural, political and family dysfunction, which is fertile soil for hatred that can grow into violence.

Give us the eyes to clearly see the hard truths, which need to be addressed before things can get better.

Inspire us with solutions, Lord.

Energize the efforts of those who work for social justice.

Bless families, protect the innocence of children.

Show each of us how we can bring Your healing, love and support to the most vulnerable among us.

Fill us with the conviction and guidance it will take to become part of the solution.

Spark miraculous transformations deep inside our hearts, so we can become ever more capable of bringing Your Peace into this broken world.

Unite our efforts and multiply them with Your Power, so the roots of hatred will dissolve before they can ever manifest into another act of violence.

In Jesus name, we pray.

Do you know people, who have been particularly affected by an act of senseless violence? Write in comments below, and we’ll lift them up in prayer! God bless you and thanks for reading. 

Related Scripture

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
-Psalm 29:11

Written by Nicky Gant for http://www.uniteinprayer.org