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The killings of children and adults in Connecticut last Friday left us saddened and wondering how we could effectively pray for those affected.
How NOT to Pray
1. Father, be with them.
A. What does that mean? We are not to say phrases in prayer, but to ask for something.
B. Hebrews 13:5 - God has promised never to leave us nor forsake us.
C. 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 - Paul does pray the Lord would be with them, but we must pay attention to the context. It is a greeting.
D. Romans 15:33 - Again, this is a greeting.
2. Father, help them.
A. In what way?
B. We need to know what God can do.
C. Know what the people will allow Him to do. Many are resistant to God's love and concern.
D. Hebrews 4:16 - We're told to approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
3. Father, let this see your purpose in this.
A. God doesn't send people into schools to murder little children to teach us a lesson. Satan is
the one who comes to kill, steal, and destroy, and people are his agents.
If someone throws a live grenade at you, do you stand there because you think it's God's will? No, you run. The purpose of the one who threw it was to destroy your life.
How TO Pray
1. Comprehension
A. Pray for clarity on the what, why, and how.
B. 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us that Satan is the god of this world. Jesus prayed that God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). People have a choice whether or not to obey God's directive to not murder their fellow man.
2. Comfort
A. Comfort does not work by itself. (Acts 9:31, Romans 15:4-5, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, II Corinthians 1:3-4) One of comfort's partners is the fear of the Lord. If people are defiant and shaking their fists at God, they will not receive His comfort. Another partner is patience. If you want the comfort of God to work, stay busy doing what He's called you to do. Don't stop.
B. As you are comforted, God will give you the ability to comfort others.
3. Compassion
A. Tragedies give us two opportunities: 1) To harden our hearts against God and others or
2) To fill us with His compassion for those who suffer at the hands of evil people.
B. In the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), the brother hardened his heart against the one returning.
C. I Peter 3:8-13 - God is against those who do evil. Jesus stood against the Pharisees and other religious leaders, who tried to entrap Him and turn the people against Him. He didn't have compassion on them. Our God is a God full of compassion, but He WILL judge evil people.
4. Compromise
A. When something happens we don't understand, we are tempted to alter what we believe to line up with what we see.
B. When the Israelites saw the Egyptian army behind them and the sea before them, they immediately changed their belief. "Did God bring us here to kill us?"
So, we pray for those who suffer tragedies:
1. Father, bring clarity. May they know You love them and ache for what they're going through. Show them that people walk in disobedience to you and bring trouble upon the innocent.
2. Father, may they not blame or accuse You for this terrible crime. Let the fear of the Lord, patience work to comfort them, so they may in turn comfort others.
3. Father, may their hearts remain soft toward you and others. May they be filled with compassion for the suffering.
4. Father, when circumstances are almost more than they can bear, may they turn to You instead of away from You. May they be steadfast in their trust that You're a loving God, who does not bring evil upon the upright in heart.
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