Yet, we want not to focus on ourselves. Instead we want to pray for those families who lost loved ones. We want to pray for President Bush, General Powell, and others, who need wisdom from above for the leadership of this hour. We want to pray for those giving of themselves to help at this time. We want to pray for our military and intelligence personnel. And we want to pray for our enemies as well.

The implications of these events are still unknown to us. We do know that the world as we have known it in our lifetime has been greatly impacted. The freedoms and security we often take for granted have been threatened. It is a time, however, for Christ followers, even in our confusion, to trust in our faithful God. We need to ask God to grant us hope rather than fear in times like these. We need to ask God to give us strength so that we can be instruments of grace to and for one another across this campus and also in our community as well.

Yesterday’s events touched some on our campus in a personal way. They have friends or extended family members impacted by this tragedy. Others wait to see if they will be called out as the U.S. Military seeks to respond.

Let us pray for peace and healing in our world. Let us be sensitive to the special needs on this campus. Let’s ask God to help us all respond in ways that reflect His goodness and grace in the midst of this dark hour.

If you have particular prayer requests or if you know of particular needs on our campus, please contact the offices of Campus Ministries and/or Student Services. May God, who is our refuge and strength, help us all in this hour (Ps. 46).