Courage in the Shadow of Violence

Join me in a prayer for courage in the shadow of violence today. 

Heavenly Father,

We come before You brokenhearted and heavy with grief. Today we mourn the loss of Charlie Kirk, Your servant who was unashamed to stand for truth in the public square. Lord, You tell us in Psalm 116:15 that “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” We cling to that promise now, believing that Charlie’s life and his faith were not wasted, but have entered into eternity with You.

Father, we confess our anger, our fear, and our sorrow. We watched evil raise its hand against one of Your children, and our hearts cry out for justice. Yet You have said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” (Romans 12:19). So we lay our rage at Your feet. We pray that You, the righteous Judge, would act in Your perfect timing and bring justice upon every force of darkness that seeks to silence Your truth.

Lord, we also pray for Charlie’s family, his friends, and all who grieve. Wrap them in Your comfort, surround them with Your peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7), and remind them that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Let his wife, his children, his colleagues, and his brothers and sisters in Christ know that Charlie’s labor was never in vain, but is crowned with eternal reward.

God, we ask that Charlie’s legacy would not be silence, but a shout. That his death would not end a movement, but multiply it. That his courage would ignite courage in countless others who will carry the torch of truth. Let his voice echo in the hearts of believers everywhere as a reminder that freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and freedom of faith are worth defending, even unto death.

And Father, strengthen us. We cannot shrink back in fear. We cannot allow the bullet of an assassin to decide the future of a nation built on liberty. Give us the spirit of boldness, not of fear, for You have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

We ask all this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, the King who was Himself unjustly condemned and crucified, yet who rose victorious, guaranteeing that evil will not have the final word. May that same resurrection hope fill us now as we honor Charlie’s life and continue the work to which he gave his own.

Amen