Father in heaven, You are omniscient. You are El Roi, the God who sees us. There is nothing done in secret about which You are not aware. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. Secrets will be brought to light and come into judgement. Father, I pray Your will be done over the recent events of a nearby church and the affected community in which a pastor was arrested and admitted guilt in the heinous abuse of a youth that occurred over ten years ago.
The pastor, let out on bail, proceeded to take his own life. The tragedy of his ungodly behavior touches so many lives today. The victim and the victim’s family and friends, the children and wife of the abuser, all who are within their circles of influence, the friends and acquaintances at the church, the church leaders, the whole congregation, sister churches and the community at large are all under the pall of shock, anger, and grief.
Father, I lift them all to Your mercy seat for Your provision and comfort. Touch their hearts as only You can. Heal them as only You can. Draw them close to Your heart for the rest of their days on this side of glory. Grant Your wisdom and discernment to the church leaders to deal with this circumstance and its aftermath with transparency and truth.
Father, I pray for Your church. Give us the knowledge and vigilance to protect Your children. Give us the eyes to see and the voice to speak out against ungodly behaviors among us. Protect Your household, Father. Keep the wolf from entering. Ward off the prowling lion who seeks to kill, steal and destroy. Be glorified in our response in the name and authority of Jesus, according to Your good and perfect will. Amen.
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:3 NKJV)
Welcome to Joy in Verse! Please take a minute to subscribe to this content by adding your email address to our list. Remember to look for the confirming email and respond to complete the process.
Join the Christ-centered Joy in Verse community and keep in touch.
Joy S. Taylor is a follower of Christ, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Her workdays were spent using the Master of Science in Accounting degree that God graciously allowed at the age of, well, greater than 40. She led a divorce recovery support group sponsored by her church for seven years, and spent more than a decade in leadership roles for Celebrate Recovery, using what God had done in her life to point others to the healing only Jesus gives. Now retired, she concentrates on writing for Jesus from her beloved hickory grove in Indiana, yet devotes some of her time to volunteering for Care Net.