An American Prayer | Waiting for a Miracle after a Killing Spree

 I. The First Sunday Following The Killings 

Oh holy and

loving God,

please don't

let this have

happened

II. The Second Sunday Following The Killings 

Understanding and wise God,

Grant that we may, without 

doing anything different, 

be protected from further 

atrocities of the sort we 

now so earnestly grieve.

III.  The Third Sunday Following The Killings 

Almighty and everliving God,

if it be Thy will that we 

ought in all good conscience to change anything

in thought, word, or deed

to prevent the evil or the mad from

misusing these Thy gifts of semi-automatic 

sports rifles bearing

frangible ammunition in

high capacity magazines to

snuff the wick of life from

children and other noncombatants, 

grant us a sign--

clear and convincing--

that we may with one mind and heart agree

to forego a portion of our profits and

endure some diminution at the margins

of our precious personal freedom.

So we do now wait on Thee,

pledging that, should some sign issue 

unmistakably from Thy hand,

we will lay this matter to rest

even as we have so recently

laid to rest the bodies of 

those we grieve this day.

IV. The Fourth Sunday Following The Killings 

Patient and enduring God,

One week has passed in silence 

since we sought a clear word from Thee 

on gun violence.

With that week passed also

400 of your children, 

dead from gunshots 

along American streets and 

within American homes. 

How long Lord? 

How long must 

we wait 

for Thee

to act?