Considering Thoughts and Prayers

By Michael Aleman | FāVS News Columnist

We know from the beginning that thoughts and prayers will not bring our children, our parents, our brothers and sisters and our friends back to life. However, as people of the Word, and as people who have only words to give, thoughts and prayers are an attempt to return our lives, over time, to some semblance of normalcy. 

When we are sick with what may be a terminal illness, we welcome the meaningful reaching out from those who offer thoughts and prayers — those who bring banana bread, those who offer to mow the lawn or walk the dog. We do take comfort from them. We appreciate their offers to help us even though we will continue to suffer our loss. 

It’s more difficult, of course, to find even a modicum of comfort when those we love are taken violently by sudden accident and especially at the violent hands of others. Comfort is harder to come by in such cases, and especially when the victims are children. 

So, when politicians and officials announce, “You are in our thoughts and prayers,” it’s easy to reject them as insincere. Let us, however, for the moment, accept their words at face value. Thoughts and prayers are all they can offer after the fact. 

In our congregations and our fellowships, we are thankful for them, for we realize we are not alone in our grief, for though their grief is not ours they do share in the loss. At the moment, we may want to be alone in our grief, may need to be so, but if no one offered comfort, the loneliness and grief would be unbearable. 

Friends and even strangers do know to some degree the horror we are living through. Sharing thoughts and prayers is fellowship, either Christian fellowship or more broadly human fellowship. Where would we be without it?

When complete strangers place flowers, teddy bears, candles and balloons as a memorial, they are offering thoughts and prayers. We are thankful.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” It is indeed our responsibility to offer comfort. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

In our lives, we will suffer loss. We will need comfort and therefore can take comfort from both man and God. Psalm 34:18 reads: “The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Jesus himself understood grief and loss. He wept at the loss of his friend, Lazarus. He knew and sweated blood at the impending loss of his own life.

Many are at this moment praying for the families of those children recently killed in Minnesota. Many are praying for healing for the wounded, and emotional and spiritual healing for all touched by the violence. Many have serious thoughts about the matter. It would be inhuman not to have them.

Don’t hesitate to send your thoughts and prayers. Share them. They can seem meaningless, but they aren’t. They keep us human, keep us connected in the family of humankind. They help us to do the Lord’s work when we can do little else.

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.