Wyoming has had her share of tragedies in recent weeks. But none tore our hearts like the loss of life in Byron. As events unfolded, the narrative changed from reports of mass violence, then murder-suicide, and finally to prayer.
A week ago Friday, prayers ascended from vigils, across Wyoming’s tiny towns and its largest cities. Others prayed around kitchen tables, at family devotions, or kneeling at their bedside. By Sunday Christians who gathered in worship continued interceding for Olivia and her entire family.
Prayers are more than a placebo. Cynics mock that “thoughts and prayers” are pointless, feel-good gestures. But Christians have a sober assessment. The Psalmist promises, “Blessed is he who considers the poor” (Psalm 41:1). And James assures us: “The fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much“ (James 5:16).
Those who think they’re in control do not think to pray. Tragedy upends that thinking and hits us with a stark choice: Either the cosmos is totally out of control and meaningless, or there is a God. Prayer naturally erupts from those who perceive that God rules the cosmos.
When God is in control, people seek His help. That’s what happened last week. Talk of prayer broke out everywhere. It was not artificial, but as natural as breath itself. Would to God that we always could speak so openly.
God alone can turn this desperate plea into the prayer of faith. He does so by revealing Himself through the Scriptures proclaimed in the community of faith.
There, prayer becomes not the last resort of the fool, but the first task of the wise.
While most people instinctively turn to prayer in times of tragedy, they may not know much about the God whose help they seek. That’s where the community of faith comes in. The God who draws us into prayer also draws us into communities of faith, where he reveals Himself through the Scriptures.
This dynamic came to mind as I read the poignant interview that Cliff Harshman gave to Cowboy State Daily. He told Clair McFarland, “I have to be faithful through this, otherwise I don’t find an existence.”
That’s wisdom.
I pray he finds a faithful pastor who matches his own need to be faithful. I hope the same for all who have been touched by recent events, and for those who are dealing with their own personal tragedies.
May the prayers anguish has birthed grow into a constant way of life. May they lead to an ever-deeper trust in the Creator who beckons us to pray. And may that trust be grounded in His self-revelation through the death of Jesus.
Christians are keenly aware that God the Father hears their prayers only because of the sacrifice of His only Son. Built on that foundation, they consider prayer a privilege given by God alone.
Then, as citizens of the world, they consider this privilege to be a responsibility that they should use for others. Believers make a regular practice of prayer because the more one considers the world, the more chaos and trouble there is to pray about. So, they pray not only for themselves but for others who do not or cannot pray.
This is a service of love for the neighbor that often goes unnoticed.
But God’s answers to prayer are exceedingly more gracious than we can hope or think. For that reason, we are often blind to recognizing His gracious answers to prayer. When events don’t make sense, we don’t lose hope. Instead, we see with a different pair of eyes.
That’s why it’s called faith. Faith learns to trust that God is not only all-powerful but that He is all-good. This is not always obvious or on the surface. It is over the horizon—beyond our sight.
We’ll see it vividly someday in hindsight.
Despite tens of thousands of faithful prayers, Olivia didn’t make it. We would be fools to think we can understand God’s ways and explain them to others. But we would be just as foolish to think that He was helpless, absent, or mistaken.
So, keep praying. Let this moment drive you to your knees and drive you to God’s Word. If you already go to church, go more often. If you already study the Bible, study it more diligently. If you don’t do either, there is no better time to start.
God has brought you to this moment. God has given us an impulse to pray. And to everyone who seeks, God has promised that he will find (Matthew 7:7).
Jonathan Lange is a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod pastor in Evanston and Kemmerer and serves the Wyoming Pastors Network. Follow his blog at https://jonathanlange.substack.com/. Email: JLange64@protonmail.com.
