According to the latest reports, at least 26 people are dead, including the pastor’s 14-year-old daughter.
Many more are wounded.
Families are devastated. The small community is in shock.
My words are not adequate.
But these things I will do:
- I will pray. I will pray for the families of those killed and wounded. I will pray for the church. I will pray for the community. I will pray for Pastor Frank Pomeroy as he leads and comforts his congregation in the midst of his own grief. I will pray for the shooter’s family.
- I will trust God for His comfort, His promise, and His guidance for those affected.
- I will pray for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be magnified in this tragedy.
- And I will embrace in spirit the members of First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs. I will identify with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
We are First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs.
We are your brothers and sisters in Christ.
We pray for you. We care for you. We love you.
Please, readers, join me in sharing your own prayers and love for this church and all those impacted by this tragedy.
Posted on November 6, 2017
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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140 Comments
With a heavy heart..we cling to His hope. ????
“He has enlightened us to the great mystery…through Jesus…when the time is right … He [will] return to create order and unity—both in heaven and on earth—when all things are brought together under the Anointed’s royal rule.”
Eph. 1:9-10
Beloved Church, we are His messengers.
Yes we are.
It was a beautiful sunrise in Arizona this morning. The sky was painted with beautiful shades of orange, pink, red and yellow. It was as if the Lord Jesus was saying that He is crying and mourning with us.
Lord we thank you for mourning with us, we thank you because you are the God who will comfort and strengthen us. We thank you for your Son’s precious blood that bathed our skies this morning. We thank you that you never leave us nor will you forsake us. We thank you and praise you because you have heard every cry that has gone up to heaven. Lord you are sovereign and your name will be glorified, even in this. Hallelujah, we praise you this morning.
Amen.
We are First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs! Lord Jesus please wrap your loving arms around this congregation. Lord Jesus, help them to walk through the valley of grief and mourning they are currently in.
Psalm 23 fits this situation:
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell[a] in the house of the Lord
Forever.
The Lord is with First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs and so are your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Great prayer.
Father, You are holy perfect and wisdom beyond our comprehension. Words fail us. We confess our sinful finite minds cannot understand Your plan. All we can do is trust. Believe You and Your Word. May all effected be strengthened in faith and trust in You. May You be magnified and glorified. May Genesis 50:20 be the balm applied for Your will and purposes. This humbles us Lord in that we are helpless without You. We are vulnerable without You and we need Your firewall of protection from the evil one. I ask for comfort and grace for EVERYONE effected and may Jesus blood be applied in all aspects of this sad mournful time. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.
Amen and amen.
DEAR PASTOR AND HIS BELOVED FAMILY:
FROM EL SALVADOR IN CENTRAL AMERICA, AND ESPECIALLY FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, MY DEEPEST SYMPATHY, AND MAY THE LOVE DIVINE OF OUR GOOD LORD KEEP YOU ALL IN HIS HAND, AND WITH A STRONGER FAITH IN THIS EVER CHANGING WORLD!. Amen!!!
YOUR FRIEND AND FELLOW SERVANT IN CHRIST,
Oliverio Cortez y Cortez. English/Spanish translator on the missions field.
Dear Family of God,.
We are sad that your church faced this act of evil against you. We know that the loss of your loved ones is painful. All of us that know the Lord Jesus Christ are in this together. I pray that this senseless tragedy helps people to know Jesus as their Savior. May you feel our love and may God provide you His comfort and peace. Deb in ID.
Thank you, Deb.
We stopped last night during Evening Worship and lifted these precious folks and town up to God. I cannot imagine what the Pastor is going through having lost church members and his daughter. My heart just hurts. If there has ever been a time people need to turn to Jesus for salvation, it is now!
I totally agree.
My heart is broken for these innocent people who were gathered together to worship in a place that I’m sure always felt safe before. I can’t imagine how devastating this is for all. Our world is full of so much sin and evil, it honestly just makes me long for our eternal home. Thank God we have this hope to hold onto and the knowledge that Christ is victorious.. and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. We have to share His love even more to a world that needs to know!
So true.
I can’t imagine the pain everyone is going through. My heart aches for the families affected by this act of evil. But what I do know is that our God is with you all. He is at work. He is your comforter. He is your strength. He is your counsellor. His justice will prevail “ revenge is mine saith the Lord”. There’s power in prayer ???? and I would just like to let you know that I am praying for you all
– Tammy, New Brunswick Canada ????????
Agree.
As the news came in yesterday of this tragedy, I thought “what if my day, all planned out, was interrupted with such shock and grief?”
Yet, it was. We are the body of Christ. When one suffers and hurts, we all suffer and hurt. Praying for my brothers and sisters in Texas.
Yes.
If we wanted to send cards or letters, to let our brothers and sisters know they’re not alone, where could we send them?
You may send cards in care of:
First Baptist Church
1115 B Street
Floresville, Tx 78114
We will get any correspondence to Pastor Frank.
Thank you for your encouragement to our community.
I want to send a card & small gift to the church. There was a PO box listed for First Baptist Church Sutherland Springs. It is….
PO Box 115
Sutherland Springs, Tx 78161
but I saw a note also on line about being careful of those trying to profit off this tragedy. Is that a legitimate PO for the church?
Thanks,
Su
Matthew 5:11-12 says “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
The word “ye” is plural, and “you” is singular. In essence Jesus said “Blessed are all of you when any one of you is reviled or persecuted…” So yes, we, as believers, are all First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs…
Great word, Betty.
Amen
Amen, yes we are!
Thank you, Greg.
I want you to know we at Johnson City,Tx First Baptist Church will be praying for peace and confort for your Chuch member that have lost love one and for you and your wife in the lost of your daughter.
I cannot imagine the pain, grief and insecurity you must feel. Please know that there are millions of prayers being offered up on your behalf. Our words feel empty to express how much we care and how earnestly we are praying for you. May you know the peace that passes all understanding.
Thank you, Rick.
Good morning Rick. Just want you to know that we are praying for your church members. Our prayers go up all the way from Panama in Central America. We pray that all will be well during these difficult moments.
From our church here in Canada – Praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ affected by this awful tragedy! I can’t imagine what you’re going through. Praying that you receive comfort from the One who does know!
Thank you to our brothers and sisters up north.
Father God, We praise you because only you can uphold those whose hearts have been crushed . Only you oh God, can give people strength to carry on amidst such tragedy and loss. We thank you Lord Jesus for your Holy Spirit that guides us and who is our helper and knows how to pray for us when we do not. We thank you God, for your love and compassion God, We praise you God because of your greatness, your kindness, your mercy, your compassion that even in the midst of such deep loss we desire to praise you. I pray Father God right now that all families and friends that have such deep grief and profound loss Jesus, that they will not turn their eyes away from you. In our human state we can become very angry at you. I pray Lord may they knoe that you feel their pain. that your heart breaks for them. That you see your tears and that they are very precious to you. That they know how tender You are to them You know what it is like to lose a son, your only begotten son. I just eagerly pray Lord Jesus, that your Holy Spirit will fall down on each one suffering and in shock this morning, may they fell your arms around them, May they feel your glorious presence and your sweet, sweet spirit. I pray Father God for the ones that have heard your word and has become curious about the First Baptist Church Of Sutherland through this horrific tragedy will come to know Jesus Christ. I pray for healing Lord Jesus, please please, if it be will your will, that those in the hospital will live, and the way they live will be a praise to you. That your name will glorified in their healing, That if a doctor even if an atheist would say, Surely there is a God, one God, who has healed them. We ask this in Jesus Precious name Amen.
Kathy Langford, your beautiful words and praise to God really touched my heart and I pray it also touched many others. I have been praying for the people that have had to go through so much tragedy. We do not understand why! But it will open more souls to believe their is a loving God.
We are praying for this church.