I don’t want to imagine the scenes at the Taylor Swift dance class in Southport on Monday. I’m sure anyone who witnessed them will never forget. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved. It’s at times like these words can’t be found that touch the depth of feeling brought to the surface.
All we can do is call out to God. I was humbled to be invited onto a zoom prayer meeting Tuesday evening, led by Southport Christians. Even as we prayed, people were calling in with news of the attacks on the mosque and the police. Some lived close to the trouble and we could hear the fear in their voices as the rioting developed. We prayed into the situation as it emerged.
Even through the pain and devastation, forgiveness gleamed through. People prayed, of course, for the injured, those who had lost their lives and their families, the emergency services and hospital staff but also for the perpetrator and his family. They prayed not just for the present, but looking towards the future – the start of the school term, the long recovery and the wide ranging impact on security for children’s activities in the future.
I don’t know how I would cope or come to terms with such horrific events if I didn’t know about prayer. Even though the words don’t come and we don’t know what to pray for, just to sit in God’s presence and throw ourselves at His feet is often all we can do.
This prayer has been adapted from one written by a panel on worship from The Church of Scotland.
Lord God,
In this time of tragedy,
In this time of anger,
In this time of grief,
In this time of doubt,
Come to us as the Father who stands alongside,
As the Son who brings hope,
As the Spirit who brings healing.
We pray for all afflicted by the tragedy in Southport;
We pray for those who have lost loved ones;
We pray for those who wait and worry;
We pray for those whose lives have emptied.
We pray for those who lie in pain in hospital or at home.
We pray for those who brought help through the emergency services,
Those who saw devastating scenes, those who have had to report on events and those who acted with courage, kindness and neighbourliness to bring safety, ease and comfort.
We pray for those who think evil actions are justifiable and those whose hearts and minds are hard against humanity.
Stop them when we cannot;
Forgive them when we find it hard.
Transform them as only You can.
Prepare us for the long recovery ahead.
We pray for the schools as they get ready to start up without the smiling faces they were expecting,
We pray for parents and carers who will be anxious about the safety of their children when they leave them,
We pray for the children who have experienced atrocities, may feel guilt because they have survived, and those who miss their friends.
Help us work for peace and understanding, strive for justice and forgiveness and change our ways to those of love, courage and faith,
For Christ’s sake, Amen