Pray Harder [Prayers for Charleston]

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 " Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

We are deeply saddened by the event that took place at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina during Wednesday night Bible Study. As tragedy continuously plagues America, more specifically the African American community due to gun violence (amongst ourselves, the police, or other races) our eagerness to turn to prayer is diminishing. This is not a time to let our faith waver. This is not a time to question God's presence nor His purpose. Yes, we are under attack and I don't mean we as in the African American community (although we are) I mean we as in the church! Being under attack is the very reason we should continue to pray and pray even harder. There is power in prayer. Kneeling in prayer gives us the strength to stand in troubled times. Prayer is the secret weapon to winning this fight. Prayer is where we gain peace when we don't understand, prayer is where we gain strength when we are weak, prayer is where we find comfort during a time of sorrow. When we don't know what else to do, when it seems to be hardest, and even when it is deemed as pointless we must pray. We must understand that while God's plan is not always understandable in our minds they are always purposeful within the confines of His kingdom.
As we mourn the death of 9 souls that lost their lives at the hand of a young man with a harden heart we rejoice in knowing that there was no better place they could've been in that moment. We rejoice knowing that God is still very present in this situation in that there are issues that need to be addressed in America.

The Facebook post above spoke to my heart as I scrolled comments in regards to the shooting. I couldn't have worded better myself. 

Unfortunately it takes tragic events such as this to bring awareness to the hatred that lies within the hearts of fellow Americans due to the color of someone's skin. It is incomprehensible how someone could come into the House of the Lord, where lives are to be saved, sit for an hour only to take the lives of those individuals. In all of this the serenity prayer is one that was placed on my heart as we go through these trying times. Let's make it a priority to pray for this church family, the victims individual families, and this young man as well as his family. We will not live in fear because the God that we serve commands that we live by faith.

#PrayHarder #FearlessFAITH #PrayersForCharleston