The most important thing we can do as Christians right now is to pray.
1. For those who grieve:
Ro 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. We pray with the hearts that cry!
JN 11:35 Jesus wept. We cry with you Lord for the loss of loved ones.
Lost in grief, may they find Jesus and be comforted.
May they not be overwhelmed with their loss.
May they take comfort in knowing their loved ones are now with Jesus.
There is pain, may God take the hurt away!
If it is God's Will that suffering go on for those who are recovering in hospitals, give them stamina to bear it with patience and the power to keep them from taking it out on those around them. All things are possible with God, and we know He can heal the bodies He created.
May the Great Physician and Comforter be with those who need healing.
Give an increase of faith to God's people, so that they do not turn from God in times of adversity and trial.
Help us remember that our hurts and losses draw us nearer to God.
May God surround those who have been troubled by the tragedy with a sense of His love.
Any loss we have, we need to grieve, and we have lost our sense of security. May God help us to grieve and overcome this loss.
2. For all who work in emergency services:
May God care for them and watch over them and grant them safety.
May God give them strength.
May God give the courage.
May God help those who suffer a psychological shock from what they have seen.
Help them to be able to deal with the horror as they work among the ruin.
We give thanks for the commitment and unselfishness of these workers.
May God be with their families as they worry about the safety of their loved ones.
3. For the president and other leaders:
May they pledge allegiance to the Lamb of God.
Give our leaders the gift of discernment to know what is right in your sight.
1 King 3:11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice."
May they know the Will of God and follow Him.
Bless our leaders with integrity to fight for what is right and honorable in your sight.
May God give them full knowledge of truth and righteousness.
May God give them a full measure of wisdom.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
ECC 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
ISA 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--
LK 14:31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
May our leaders be prepared and seek guidance from the Lord.
PR 20:18 Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.
JOEL 3:9 Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war!
ISA 58:2 For day after day they seek me out;they seem eager to know my ways,as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
Make our leaders love peace and fair-dealing.
Give our leaders an understanding of what is good for God's kingdom, and to react not out of anger, or restitution, but to act out of justice.
4. For our nation:
May God bring peace to our nation.
May the people turn to the Lord. PS 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD
We thank God for the many blessings he has showered upon our land.
May our nation rest upon and turn toward the beliefs of our founding fathers.
Our nation is a melting pot of all nationalities. May the people of our land refrain from taking out their anger on any individual who may be of a nationality deemed to have committed these horrible acts, but rather look at these individuals as an American, just like themselves..
5. For the world:
May all nations join in unity.
May the walls that separate us be broken down.
May all nations and races serve God in harmony.
6. For our enemies:
MT 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
May our enemies come to know Jesus!
This was such a horrible act. May God give us the Spirit of Forgiveness toward our enemies.
Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
Note: Jesus forgave, and the men never asked for forgiveness.
May those whose hearts are hardened be able to turn them from their evil ways.
7. For the men and women being called to serve our nation.
We thank God for those who are on alert to defend this land.
May God's presence give comfort to those who suffer separation from loved ones while serving their country.
May they gather strength from God when they feel weak and helpless in the face of danger.
May they work as though they are working for the Lord, and not men.
These men and women are ready to give the ultimate sacrifice of their life. We thank God for giving them this courage, and also thank God for the ultimate sacrifice he gave to us with His Blood on the Cross.
8. Most importantly, we praise God for who he is!
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower" Proverbs 18:10 We praise God because he is The Tower that will not fall.
Hebrews 12:28 "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful." We praise God because of His Unshakeable Kingdom.
We praise God because He died on the cross for us.
9. We pray for our pastors and religious leaders:
They have a great burden upon them as we have many questions. May God be with them as they search God's Word.
10. We pray that Americans do not transfer any anger they harbor against the terrorists responsible for this attack against innocent others just because they are the same nationality or religion of the guilty.
May the Arab/Muslims in America always feel a part of this nation.
May American refrain from taking justice into their own hands by verbally abusing, attacking and even killing Arabs and Muslims solely because of their nationality and/or religion, thereby lowering us to the level of the terrorists.
11. We pray for our teachers.
Give them the wisdom and words to speak to our children, as they are bombarded with questions. Give them discernment in what is appropriate for the age of the children they teach.
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I put this together not long after 9/11 when it was heavy on my heart.