Today, reply is on the value of “thoughts and prayers” as a response to mass shootings, tragedies, and extreme weather events. Among Christian believers, many occurrences outside the church and within the general community (i.e., the world) are recognizable as cries for help. Crisis, emergency, and traumatic events often demand divine intervention, can include clear violations of sacred law, and are properly seen as attacks against divine order. In spite of issues of disbelief, lack of gratitude, and skepticism, when disaster and terror events turn a spotlight on unmet needs for the ministry of Christ as Risen Lord, it is correct for Christians to apply the same solutions and tools relied on within the congregations and communities of faith. Outreach may provide expressions of love and support through music ministry, intercessory prayer, prophecy, and selected readings from the holy writings. Meaningful recovery, treatment, and volunteer efforts will require cooperation and shared focus that also can counteract the increased threats that workers will become overwhelmed by feelings of anger, bitterness, defeat, depression, helplessness, fear, and exaggerated pride. One of the fighters in the “Yahoo! Answers” forum using the ID “Anonymous” (no profile data appeared) posted the following:
What exactly do "thoughts and prayers" accomplish?
Any time there's a tragedy or mass shooting, social media is plastered by conservative Christians saying "sending thoughts and prayers." What exactly does this do to help the victims?
THE GOLDEN ARROW: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4: 6-8, King James Version, KJV)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: GOD Protects the Faithful (12/19/2017); Storms to Punish America? (09/08/2017); Why Pray For Victims? (06/14/2016); Shot While in Church? (06/18/2015); Saved While in Church? (06/19/2015); Faith for Facing Tragedy? (06/04/2013); Words Spoken By GOD? (06/05/2013); Unless You Repent (03/05/2013); The Childhood of Jesus? (03/06/2013)
“Anonymous”, thoughts and prayers serve to counteract our extreme natural responses such as anger, bitterness, despair, and irrational, mindless violence. Where people are being courteous and friendly to us during times of bereavement, emotional crisis, and stress, we often fail to realize that their responses to us that are most encouraging and helpful may have been generated by their indwelling spirit imparted from the makeup of GOD. Christian believers are to operate as incarnations of divinity, spokespersons, and the offspring (sons and daughters) of GOD on the earth who make divinity active and present during times of trouble, and our hours of need. Sinners who are “born again” experience the death, burial, and resurrection of their inborn spirit, and are to become vessels of divine DNA, so to speak. As those repenting and returning to GOD, sinners in transition who undergo the permanent changes in rebirth are filled with inseparable sacred substance from the fullness of divinity. Included are balance, faith, forbearance, holiness, humility, longsuffering, lovingkindness, personhood, respect, wisdom, and wrath against sin.
GOD is not an abstraction, an academic construct, or a human intellectual device; therefore, the sacred work of revelation goes forward to make divinity knowable, known, accessible, and approachable to created beings and living creatures. Communication, exchange, and interaction (we say, entering into a personal relationship with GOD) are shared through multiple lives and actual members of the full body of Christ, the church. In addition to shared worship, there are fellowship, marriage, meditation, praise, prayer, study, and unselfish service. Our shared thoughts and prayers become acceptable gifts, offerings, requests, and sacrifices to GOD when they are presented by Jesus Christ. Also, Christian believers are to understand that “comfort” along with “edification” and “exhortation” is one of the three works that provide divine disclosure and revelation appearing as aspects of sacred prophecy within the church.
The proclamation of the Gospel (good news) provides truth that is directed against fear, isolation, loneliness, poverty, the operations of sin, and all spiritual confusion. On surface, the non-worship activities and programs of the church may appear little different from what goes on in community recreation and social centers. However, the church uses simple things that impart lessons and resources that nonetheless are spiritually profound. Included are divine assurances, emblems, opportunities to serve, seals, signs, and sacred tokens that express and establish the integrity of GOD. Survivors, victims, and those still on the battlefield will be encouraged and refreshed when they are not answered by ignorance, blamed, despised, forgotten, ignored, condemned by indifference and silence, or rejected as being unfit. Consider again the following that uses language from the Bible:
(1.) 2nd Peter 1: 2-4, King James Version (KJV): 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
(2.) Jeremiah 29: 11-13, KJV: 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
(3.) 1st Thessalonians 4: 13-18, KJV: 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
There is far more to be said, correctly examined, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, (4.) 2nd Corinthians 7: 1, KJV: 1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.
THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC
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