A Prayer In The Midst Of The Connecticut School Massacre

Picture Source: www.abcnews.go.com

Heavenly Father, I come to Your throne of mercy, bowed down and wearied by the weight of suffering and disaster visited upon Newtown, Connecticut.  I beg You to further protect this community and myself in our hour of need.  I acknowledge my trespasses before You and do not deny either my own transgressions of You holy Law or the sins of my fellow citizens.  We are laden with iniquity, but You call us to Your forgiveness, salvation, hope, and life.  Turn the hearts and minds of all to You, that they might find peace through the cleansing of Jesus' blood.  Let me not be confounded or dismayed so that I, a child of Your grace, may courageously speak to this needy world of the hope that is within me.  Make me an instrument of Your peace in a world of conflict, a witness to the power of faith in a world lost in unbelief, and a bearer of the joy that overcomes the sorrow of a fallen world.  Grant to all leaders in the midst of this crisis wise and calm thinking.  Amid the tumult of disaster, build Your kingdom and turn even more souls to Yourself.  Because of Your grace, we are not altogether lost but find peace and forgiveness in You.  O Lord, give me the grace to seek You, trust You, and confess You; in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Adapted from: Lutheran Book of Prayer (Concordia Publishing House, 1956), 168-169.