Our prayers can use some expansion

I sat up until 2 a.m. this morning watching the developing story of a devastating plane crash in Washington DC. The old broadcast newsman in me just couldn’t let it go. All the while I was praying for victims, their families and friends, as well as for first responders and search crews. 

When I finally got to bed, I got to thinking. 67 people lost their lives in that accident. But, my prayers should not have been limited. In addition to those victims and their immediate families, there are coworkers, classmates, business associates, and a long list of others who today are deeply affected by this massive loss of life. 

And that reminded me of my prayers for incarcerated men and women. 

My prayer must not be limited to individual prisoners. Stop to think about it. Also deeply affected by this incarceration are spouses, parents, grandparents, children, uncles, aunts, cousins…the list goes on and on. I have made many prison visits over the years. I can tell you that your heart would break during just one session in the visiting area. You’ll see the pain in the faces of family members and loved ones, sadness in the faces of prisoners as they say goodbye to their little kids, forced and temporary smiles from engaged couples posing for photos, and empathy/sympathy in the eyes of those closest to an ill or dying inmate. 

Here in Michigan, at least 100 people die each year in our state prisons. Our prison system holds nearly 100 senior citizens 80 years of age and older. It’s estimated that more than 1,000 innocent people are behind bars. 

So many need our prayers, whether they know it or not. Either way, I know better than to pray for a single inmate. I am reminded, once again, that many lives are affected when one person is locked in a cage. 

Prayers for all affected by this tragic plane crash. 

Prayers for all touched by the curse of incarceration. 

If there is a bright side to this post, I suggest we take heart in the words of French author, poet, and statesman Alphonse de Lamartine: 

Grief knits two hearts in closer bonds than happiness ever can; and common sufferings are far stronger links than common joys." 

I conclude, calmed by these calming words from the Psalmist: 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

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