19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans12:19
The Tyre Nichols video will be released tomorrow. It is bad. A man is dead. Five police officers are charged with 2nd Degree Homicide. A friend from Atlanta texted me to say she was praying for Memphis. There’s an undercurrent of fear that riots may occur. The DA and other law enforcement leadership are making statements condemning the acts of the police officers. There is no presumption of innocence right now.
We’ve seen injustice. We’ve seen power abused. Some of our brothers and sisters in Christ have experienced it in ways that I’ll never know or ever understand.
Lord, tonight I pray for The Holy Spirit to fill Memphis and take up residence. We are a hurting people, an angry people, and a scared people. We don’t know how to respond. We pray for peace and for justice. We pray that the Nichols family can find comfort in You. We pray for forgiveness, of our reactions and fears, and ask that You guide our thinking.
Lord, we pray for those in authority and directly tied to this death. May they seek You first. May you grant them wisdom and discernment. May the Mayors, Capt CJ Davis, Steve Mulroy, and Ben Crump, in their capacity, be Holy Spirit-led.
In this darkness Lord, bring Your light. We don’t know how You are working behind the scenes. May we, your people, be drawn to you. Give us courage to face the days ahead. Protect us with Your glory. Calm the angry and channel destructive behavior and desires into creation for Your kingdom. In Your name, amen.