Many of us are experiencing a variety of emotions as we reflect on the tragedy that occurred at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022. Some of us are experiencing grief or pain, while others feel anger or uncertainty. To be sure, many of us have a variety of emotions as we process and think through this horrific situation.
For me, my deepest sadness is for the parents. My mind cannot even picture what they are experiencing in these days. My wife and I just sat and prayed for them the evening of May 24, 2022 because our hearts were grieved for their loss. I keep seeing calls from a variety of outlets to pray for them. Therefore, I wanted to give you a model prayer that you can lift up on behalf of these parents (cf. Heb. 4:16).
Our Father,
We humbly come before you on behalf of these parents who are grieving over the death of their children. While we may not truly understand why such things happen in this fallen and broken world, we pray that these families would be given your peace, “which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). Father, we ask that you would be their “refuge and strength” during this time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Even if some of these parents do not know you, we pray that through the comfort and presence of your people they would come to believe in the work of your Son who overcame the world (John 16:33).
Lord, we pray that you would grant rest to these parents carrying this terrible burden (Matt. 11:28), and that we would mourn with them in their time of grief just like our Savior mourned over the death of Lazarus (John 11:33, 38). By your grace, we ask that these parents through the presence of your Holy Spirit be granted hope in these dark days (Rom. 12:12; 15:13).
We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen (John 14:13-14)
Please take this model prayer and lift it up to our Lord. You may even read these words directly from this post while praying. When you see something online or hear something in your conversations about this tragedy, stop in that moment and lift your voice to God using these words as a template. Let’s flood this community and lift these parents up with “the prayers of the saints” before the throne of grace (Rev. 8:3-4).
Please feel free to take and share this prayer with others.
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