The Power of Thoughts and Prayers

Matthew 4:4

"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Deut 3:8)."

I've seen lately on social media that the response of offering "thoughts and prayers" when tragedies occur is under attack from those who think these are meaningless platitudes. We see these often such as in the hashtags #PrayForChennai, #PrayForParis, etc., in the wake of all sorts of tragedies and especially acts of terror. Surely sometimes, I find it cliche as well and it seems to diminish the value of the act especially when people don't in fact pray when they say they would. But I'm puzzled. In these cases, what else are we supposed to do right at the moment? If offering prayers is the wrong response, what is the right one? 'Doing' such as calling for more gun control? Really? How does calling for gun restrictions or even enacting them help these sufferers now? I find these criticisms of prayer insensitive especially when the affected community, the families of the victims themselves are asking for prayers exactly (i.e., #SanBernardinoShooting). People often see prayer as inaction, but none can be farther from the truth. Praying for those who suffer is doing something, and praying in these circumstances is obviously compatible with also doing something else. Prayer and action are not mutually exclusive. There is a phrase in Latin from Church tradition, "orore et labore", an exhortation for us to "pray and act" (~Jam 2:14…). The fact is that most of us who offer "prayers" at times like this simply aren't in a position to go to the scene and help in other ways, and in the immediate aftermath, nearly everyone, even those who will get there to help, has only the smallest awareness of what's fully going on, what do we actually have to offer now, other than prayer? Is that enough? For some of us who cannot do more, it may be. But in fact, according to Dr David Horner of Colorado University and Denver Seminary, it's much more than enough: "Even as our awareness of the situation grows, even if we are able to do more, praying for the suffering is vitally important work. It plays crucial roles in helping sufferers that even giving physical aid [much less gun control] simply can't… Suffering is not only physical. It's also emotional, psychological, relational and spiritual. Sufferers need comfort, love, a taste of goodness, a measure of peace. They need hope and God specializes in meeting these kinds of needs. Indeed, at the deepest level, only He can. Only God provides, for example, "peace that transcends all understanding" (Phil 4:7)". John Njoroge speaker at RZIM writes, "once one ceases to be a stranger to the throne of God, one begins to see the wisdom of pleading with God for His Kingdom to come; to let His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thoughts and prayers are not mere aphorisms and platitudes; they are means by which we join God in His scheme of overcoming evil with good." So let us pray, and pray a lot, plead, for the world we live in and help out physically as well in ministering to broken hearts, and meeting the needs of our immediate community in our capacity. Also very practically, we can regularly donate to (or volunteer with) charities who help in alleviating sufferings close to our hearts (understand that as individuals we can't address them all, but we can deal with some). My favorite charities are Christian groups such as Wellspring Int'l (RZIM, global), World Vision (Global), Panzi Hospital (Congo), Philippine Red Cross, Touch Community Services (Singapore), and Renew Foundation (UK & Philippines). I consider these organizations as the caring hands of Christ on our broken Earth, so consider these and there are may others. Finally, at the breaking news of any tragedy, Yes, we can't do much immediately but in the meantime we mourn (Matt 5:4), but not without hope. Prayer is not inaction, but a response of intercession with faith/trust and dependence on God Who acts purposefully in the world. The God we worship has Himself borne our tribulations in His own body (~1 Pet 2:24), and He will one day wipe away our tears (Rev 21:4). No, our prayers are never in vain.

Matthew 6:9-13

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil…"

Resources:

1. Horner, David. "What Good Are “Thoughts & Prayers” After a Mass Shooting?" http://buff.ly/1Tz30gB accessed 10.12.2015

2. Njoroge, John. "Prayer in the Midst of Tragedy: What’s the Point?" http://bit.ly/1OL0SDe accessed 10.12.2015

~11.12.2015