School shootings shouldn’t be a regular occurrence, but they seem to be. In nearby Denver, two high school administrators were shot by a student they were patting down to see if he had a gun! You can’t make this stuff up. Then shortly after, we had a woman(!) killing three 9-year-olds and three administrators in a small Christian elementary school in Nashville. That one felt close to home for obvious reasons.

Christianity Today posted an article written by a victim of a school shooting: Taylor Schumann was injured in 2013 when a gunman opened fire at New River Community College in Virginia. She wrote this article in 2019 about “thoughts and prayers.” Here’s how it starts:

As a shooting survivor, I believe in action. At the same time, I believe in the power of prayer. I know firsthand what living through a shooting does to a mind and what a bullet does to a body, and I believe that my recovery and healing is a direct result of prayers that were prayed for me.

It is easy to feel powerless in the aftermath of a mass shooting. As we mourn the lives lost in El Paso, Dayton, and every other community where gun violence is an everyday reality, it can seem impossible to find the words to pray.

Being a survivor doesn’t mean I can singlehandedly solve the crisis of gun violence. What I can offer, though, is insight into some specific ways to pray for survivors as one part of our response to gun violence.

I recommend her article in its entirety. Here is her list of what to pray for:

• Pray for physical wounds, pain, and future treatments.
• Pray for their invisible wounds.
• Pray for wisdom for doctors, nurses, and all medical specialists they encounter.
• Pray for shielding from photos and information of the shooter.
• Pray against nightmares and for the ability to sleep and rest.
• Pray for financial provision for medical costs and other needs.
• Pray for guidance and support during the legal process.
• Pray they would have a strong support system for the long haul.
• Pray for support from other survivors.
• Pray against re-traumatization after other shootings.
• Keep praying.

To the last one she adds:

If I can convince you to do just one thing on this list, I hope it is this one. Keep praying. For many survivors, including myself, the day of the shooting is not the hardest day. The hardest day comes later, when you are confronted with your new reality in the aftermath. When the cards stop coming, when people stop asking how you are, and when the news cycle changes, you begin to feel forgotten and isolated. People praying for you months and years after the shooting is a significant way to show support. – Taylor Schumann, August 4, 2019

…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints… (Ephesians 6.18, ESV)