*”…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” -Matthew 5:44
Oh Lord our God, it is hard to pray for anyone that would shoot a man in the back. Walter Scott didn’t deserve to die. While I wonder why you didn’t step in to stop this atrocity, I will leave that for another day. Today, I only know that another black man lies dead in the streets of this nation and another cop pulled the trigger. In this instance, the North Charleston killer is Michael Slager. While I am deeply angry, you taught us that the only path to peace is through love. I know that the strongest activism that I can pursue is to pray for my enemies. With this deeply engrained in my spirit, I pray…
God, I pray for the health and wellness of Michael Slager. While sitting in jail, I pray that Slager will know both your grace and your correction. I pray for Slager’s wife and their unborn child. I pray that Slager’s wife will know your love in this incredibly difficult time. As for the yet unborn child, I pray that the child will be a great champion of social justice and lead a mighty reformation of love in their generation. I pray for Slager’s other two children. May they both know and rest in your eternal presence. I pray that they will know that there is no safer place to be than in the palm of your hand. Though their lives are changed forever, I know that all the Slagers are your children.
I have most of my time in prayer for the family of Walter Scott and I would be remiss to not pray for a few things in particular for them in this short prayer for Slager. I pray that you will grant them justice without delay. I pray that they will know your love and your love will guide them through the tragedy of this hour. In your divine providence, I pray that you will grant them the ability to forgive Michael Slager. I pray that your forgiveness will be so strong that it will draw these two families together. I pray that the Slagers and the Scotts will grow to love each other so much that they will learn to work together and become the greatest champions of racial reconciliation our society has ever known. Oh God, we need a miracle such as this!
God, I know that you are capable of things beyond our wildest imaginations. I pray for justice, reconciliation, mercy and love to flow like a raging river and come over all of us. From the North Charleston killer named Michael Slager to the rest of us, now is the time for all of us to open our hearts to a future free of violence and racism. Make it so God…make it so.
Amen.
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