YOURS FAITHFULLY
MANY of us will have been shocked and horrified by the news of the fatal stabbing of MP Sir David Amess on Friday.
Tributes were paid in Parliament led by the Prime Minister on Monday followed by a service in St Margaret’s Church, close to the houses of Parliament. This incident, plastered all over our newspapers, and newsfeeds seems to highlight something in our society of the presence of evil, hatred and disrespect all around us.
The tragic kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard has raised the profile of the reality that for many women, the constant threat of sexual assault and violence leads to fear and anxiety of being out alone, let alone at night. The details of that case have brought into sharp question the trustworthiness of those in authority, which for the many thousands of hard-working policemen (and women) must be heartbreaking too.
In conversation with some members of our church here in Sneyd Green, a gentleman simply said that he turned off the news the other night because of the state of the world being described there.
These are just two of the most high-profile situations in recent times, amongst so many heartbreaking, horrific and unbelievable stories of lives lost, families destroyed, hunger, poverty, environmental catastrophe and so much more. And the reality is that for most of us, we now ‘skim’ read the news, presented with a limited selection of the stories the editors of the newspaper or news program, or mobile application chooses are most noteworthy. This is to the exclusion of so many stories we never hear about of the continuing places of conflict, wars, health emergencies, persecution and more in far off lands, in hidden places and to those who are perhaps seen as people who ‘matter less’.
It is with this sense of drowning in the needs of the world that as a Christian I turn to God in prayer. Prayer is the opportunity to converse with Jesus, to go to him, seeking solace, peace and hope where those things seem so lacking. In my own prayers for those in my church, and the parish of Sneyd Green which we seek to serve and care for, there are thousands of households, each with their own needs, prayer requests and sometimes desperate moments, and I am called to uphold each and every one in prayer. This can often feel somewhat overwhelming.
Our responsibility to the people around us as Christians is to pray for them, and my encouragement to you is to be assured that as you read this, I am praying for you. And I know that you are not just being prayed for by me, but by many others – your local vicar, somebody who is a Christian in your family, probably by Christians you’ve never even met.
Sir David Amess had a deep and committed faith, knew and loved God, and in the memorial service on Monday the Archbishop of Canterbury shared, “Grief remains the deepest pain, but God promises an end in light, and love and the enduring hope of resurrection.” Jesus Christ shared a message with the world, which has been told and retold by Christians throughout the generations of hope and light especially for this dark world.
In the light of the darkness of the world around us, the headlines we read day after day, the examples
I have shared above, my encouragement is that praying helps. Giving the needs of the world over to a mighty and good God, knowing that he hears us and longs to give us peace and hope. If you want to find out more, check out trypraying. org or speak to somebody you know who is a Christian.