It has been a week since the mass shooting took place in Orlando. This past week, devastation and loss seem to be looming over the city of Orlando like a dark cloud. On June 11, Christina Grimmie was shot and killed while signing autographs for fans after a concert in Orlando. In the midst of a struggle to save others, the shooter himself was killed. In the early hours of the following morning, Omar Mateen killed and injured a vast amount of people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. On Tuesday, June 14, a two-year-old boy from my home state here in Nebraska was dragged away and killed by an alligator while wading in a lagoon near a Walt Disney World hotel in Orlando.
Orlando has had a devastating week.
As I have been considering each of these acts over this past week, I have been reminded just how necessary prayer is for each and every person.
Christina Grimmie may be home with her Heavenly Father, but prayers remain to be said for her friends, family and fans who are left to cope with her sudden and permanent absence. Prayers are needed for those who have the opportunity to be affected by her testimony. Prayers are needed for the family of the man who took her life. We may be angry about the act and angry at the man who committed it, but he still leaves loved ones behind who are not only grieving their loss but trying to live with the way in which he died. Everyone is hurting, and we must pray that love be shown to the family of a man who died committing a hateful act.
We must pray for a family who had to leave their family vacation devastated, grieving and shocked as they sat next to a profoundly empty seat that once held the lively giggles of a young boy that are now drowned out by a cacophonous silence. We must pray that God uses this trial in their life to bring them closer to him. We must pray that they will be able to use this trial in their lives to one day help others.
We must pray for those who lost loved ones in the mass shooting at Pulse and we must pray that God would heal the injured. We must pray that God uses this occurrence to give those who proclaim to be Christians an opportunity to show true Gospel love and compassion to the LGBT community rather than hate or judgment. We must pray for young people like Omar Mateen. We must pray that the darkness that overcame Omar be combated with love in the lives of other young people who are troubled and full of hate. We must pray for the members of ISIS and their families. When you find yourself discussing the horrific acts of ISIS, take time to stop and pray then and there for the salvation of these hate-enslaved people. Pray for the family of Omar Mateen as they are subject to hate and ridicule from those around the world disgusted by their loved one's final act. Pray for those who inappropriately used this tragedy as a political platform for their own agenda. Pray that people would stop hating and start valuing the sanctity of human life!
We must pray for humanity. There are so much hate and violence and Godlessness prevalent in our world, and the only cure is Jesus Christ. ISIS is devastating people worldwide with their acts of terror, and the acts committed are atrocious and disgusting, but these people too need prayer. Their minds are warped. And they are overcome by evil. We are all slaves to sin, and we all need prayer. So let us all pray for each other.
Ultimately, we must pray that in every circumstance, God will receive glory. Sometimes it is hard to see how such violence and loss could ever glorify God, but he is working in our lives far beyond the grief that surrounds us, and one day he will be the bright light that penetrates our thick fog of unbelief.
Yes, we are grieving. And, yes, we need to pray for comfort, but don't let a grieving prayer distract you from the vast number of needs beyond the grief.
