"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:18; NIV)

Tuesday morning, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, held an honor roll awards ceremony for their exceptional students. Just a few hours later, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos took the lives of 19 students, 3 of whom had been honored in that ceremony. His violent rampage began with the shooting of his own grandmother, after which he proceeded to the school. In addition to the 19 students, 2 teachers were also shot and killed. But then we saw the church respond in a way we have rarely seen before. A local pastor gathered intercessors to the site and had intercessors at the church that night praying for the families. Other pastors, intercessors, and worship leaders from across the state began to make their way to Uvalde with the desire to bring healing from the trauma that the families and citizens of this small city may have experienced from the shootings. The Holy Spirit drew them there. One pastor drawn to Uvalde said that he walked the streets near the school that evening and asked God to remove the curse that the shedding of innocent blood might bring. A worship leader that arrived on the scene felt that we should pray for a door of unity to be seized by the church and used for God's glory, turning the spirit of heaviness to the oil of joy for mourning.

Let's pray over Uvalde, and over our own cities as well, blanketing the nation with the Lord's love and unity.     
"And provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."
(Isaiah 61:3; NIV)

1. Dallas Morning News:https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2022/05/25/gunman-kills-19-children-2-adults-in-uvalde-school-rampage/