How we prayed the Sunday after Charlie Kirk was assissanated

"We want to especially pray for the Kirk family this day as I know you have been. But let's pray together now. 

Our Lord God, your word tells us in Psalm 46 that you are our refuge and strength. You are a very present help in trouble. And that is what we need, Lord, with troubles overseas, with wars and rumors of wars, with violence in schools, with young children and on subways, in our own land. 

Lord as we have seen so much evil and so much instability, and Lord we need that stabilizing truth anytime the life of any one of your precious image bearers is lost.

We continue to pray – as we have been as pastors of this church, and as people of this church –  for the Kirk family. We weep, and we think of Erica Kirk who shared that very scripture the very day her husband was murdered. And we pray for her and her two little children that you would be their very present help and strength in unspeakable trouble. That you would help them to be able to find refuge in you and even refuge from the media in this world. You promise to be close to the brokenhearted and to be the defender and the protector of the widow and the fatherless. 

So Lord, we entrust them to your promises. Be with their pastor Rob and their church family this very day, this very hour. And as that Psalm says, even as the world shakes or even as the world changes, your people do not need to fear because the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Lord, be that mighty fortress so that your people and especially Erica experiences verse three as your people of old when it says “God is in the midst of her. She will not be shaken. God will help her when morning dawns”. Help her, Lord. 

We pray for those who are also hurting and who have witnessed such an evil and vile murder of such an outspoken Christ follower. I pray especially for this younger generation that he had such an impact on and what man intended for evil that you would intend and bring about good as you do and for young men in particular to rise up for the Lord. 

We pray this would truly be a turning point for campuses and across the culture for Christ that continues the life mission of this life that from our perspective was cut too short. 

We pray that your gospel would be even more vocal and viral as it all already has been in these days and that we would be in each of our ways emboldened to speak for and to live in light of eternity and what matters.

We pray for justice for murderers. And even if that means the end of their life, we pray for saving grace before the end as you did for David and Paul and a multitude of murderers at heart. Guard from hate, Lord. Heal from hurt, Lord. And we thank you that death is not the last word. That Jesus defeats death in his gospel. Even as Charlie proclaimed, we pray for our world as we look forward to the day of Psalm 46 when violence will cease to the ends of the earth. And until then, help us to be still and know that you are God and you will be exalted in the earth. We know that's true globally and locally. 

And we pray for those in Israel and Ukraine and Congo who are at times and in many places facing great difficulty in their own context. Lord, we pray for our own state that needs you [...] and we pray also for our own community in our church that you would help us to shine your gospel to our dark world. Help us now, Lord, as we lift up your word and lift up our voices in song that you would lift up your Son as the Lord of hosts and the stronghold and the mighty fortress who is with us. We pray this in the name of Jesus, in the name of the God of Jacob. Amen."