Is it Okay to Question God after Recent Shootings?

After the mass killings in Gilroy, California, El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, many people are left asking why? “Why, Lord, do you allow these things to happen?” It’s easy to feel helpless and frightened and ask, “How Lord do I let go of this fear and live my life? I feel paralized!” We don’t know how to help these families who have lost loved ones yet, as our hearts ache for them we ask, “Lord, what do I do?”

In times like these the best thing we can do is go to the Lord in prayer.

Pour out your heart to Him and be still, knowing He is God (Psalm 46:10). May this help direct your prayers as you wrestle with these recent tragedies.

Father God,

I come to you with so many questions, so many emotions, so many fears. I come to you asking why, why do you allow these things to happen? Remind me of Isaiah 55:8-9, that your thoughts are not my thoughts and your ways are not my ways. Your ways are higher than my own. Lord please calm my heart, please help me to think less about myself and how this evil makes me feel and more about the families who lost loved ones and whose lives are forever changed.

Lord, please be with the families whose loved ones were killed. They are hurting in ways I can’t understand. Help them make sense of this madness. Draw them to yourself and give them a peace that passes understanding. Lord, I ask that your church would surround these families and show them the love of Christ and perhaps open their eyes to you for the first time. Remind us of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, that we can comfort others with the comfort You have given us.

I ask that you would comfort the families in these communities. Lord, I don’t live anywhere near these towns and yet I am fearful. I can only imagine how the people in these communities are feeling. Lord, we want to survive, we want to protect ourselves and those who are precious to us. But please don’t let us become paralyzed by fear and forget to live our lives.

Remind us all of 2 Timothy 1:7, that you did not give us a spirit of fear. Remind us to trust you. Give us eyes to see the beauty of your creation and the love that surrounds us, rather than being blinded by hate, fear, and vengeful thoughts.

I pray too for the families of the ones who committed these evil acts. Lord, I can’t even imagine being the parent, grandparent, or sibling of someone who does such an unspeakable thing. Please be with them. May the people around them show them love, not judgment. May they be allowed to grieve in peace, not surrounded by the media and hateful onlookers. May their communities come around them and show them love and support like they have never experienced before.

Help them not to carry blame, but to cast their cares on You. Lord, bring people around them that can point them to the truth of Your Word so that they can grieve and respond to this situation in a way that brings you glory.

Lord, as we grieve with those who grieve, remind us to pray for our enemies and grant us hearts to love them. Remind us, Lord, that all mankind was made in Your image and all mankind desperately needs You. I ask, Lord, that You would capture the hearts of those who intend evil. That you would soften their hearts and open their eyes to the truth of Your Word so that they would not only change their evil plans but would turn and follow You.

Lord, even now as I pray this, there are no doubt other hurting, angry people who are making plans to carry out more evil acts. I pray that you would stop them. That they would be found out. That you would change their hearts. Show them that acts of violence won’t fill the void they feel, it won’t fix what’s broken, and it won’t give them the satisfaction they want. Stop them, Lord.

Lord, remind us that while we need to be watchful and aware of our surroundings, we also need to love. Help us not to assume the worst in people, help us not to look distrustingly at the strangers around us. Remind us that we are all made in your image and that while evil does lurk among us and while there are those who want to cause us harm, most people that we encounter are just like us. They are frightened and need the hope that only comes from You. Help us to spread that hope.

Lord, implant Romans 15:13 on our hearts as we face each new day, “May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in You, so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Oh Lord, bring revival to our land! Come Lord Jesus, come!

Amen.

Originally published at Crosswalk.com.