I read today about a couple who dealt with the devastation of losing a child a few years ago to leukemia. They shared their individual and collective struggles and how they came out on the other side of the agony. This is one of the scriptures they shared.
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
Psalms 10:14 NIV
I simply cannot fathom the loss of a child or a grandchild. That’s not the “right order of things.” I can only imagine the pain, the loss of purpose or the marital strain.
So what can we do? Pray.
Some of those who survived will struggle with why they lived and others did not. They will be at risk for depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Pray for their peace. Pray that they will be able to sleep at night.
The families who lost children are now facing the hardest days of their lives. Pray for their strength. The parents will be at risk for divorce. The surviving siblings may suffer any number of problems including guilt, hopelessness and anger. Pray that they will grow stronger together as a family.
Some families may never recover the bodies of their loved ones. They are at risk for never being able to find closure. Pray for God to fill the void in their lives.
I can’t imagine the pain, the devastation, the grief, the feeling of being trapped in perpetual slow motion. Yet my prayer is that God will heal them all.
And this might seem a little strange but I pray that people across the country and the world will come to faith in God as a result of this tragedy. May He be glorified through the lives of these victims.
LORD, You hear the cries of the survivors and families. May they seek refuge in you. Fill them with your peace, Lord. Bring them through the devastation even stronger than before. Heal them, Lord.
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