My heart is both grieved and stirred for yet another senseless killing and life lost in our city. Sixteen year old Derrion Albert, an honor student at Fenger High School was beat in broad daylight by what appears to be another incidence of gang violence. And yet the death of Derrion isn’t the only death that comes from this kind of incident – how many of those students at Fenger – and in high schools across the city -will die to their hopes and dreams because of the fear of this kind of thing happening to them? How many will decide that they might as well join the crowd? How many will stop pushing, stop pressing, stop trying to beat the many odds against them?
Earlier this week we talked about desire – and the many ways it is addressed in scripture – here is another way:
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.Proverbs 13:12
or to read it in the Message:
12 Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,
but a sudden good break can turn life around.
????? ??????? 14 ??? ????
For any of us, no matter what the age, when our hopes and dreams are constantly put on the back burner – it makes our heart sick. WE ALL SUFFER SOME FORM OF LOSS WHEN WE ARE CONSTANTLY DISAPPOINTED! And likewise, WE ALL SUFFER A BOOST, NEW ENERGY, YES EVEN NEW LIFE – WHEN THE THINGS WE DESIRE COME TO PASS!
We as believers have to feel the pain of children everywhere whose hearts are filled with fear, wondering if when they leave for school, will they make it back? However, as an educator, I can attest that the trauma does not stop there – it’s also a real presence in the locker room, on the stairwell and yes, sadly, even in the classroom.
One of the teachers in my program last year got beat down to the floor by one of her students who just “went off.” Anger, resentment, hatred, fear – they are all kin to each other – and they usually travel together – in gangs!
How often do we hear the words, “I guess the only thing we can do is pray.” Beloved, I contend prayer is not the only thing we can do, it is the only thing to do – to pray, to petition God for the safety of our children, to go into the heavenlies and tear down the strongholds over this city, and over the regions that have been given over to the authority of the enemy. God is not asleep! He is waiting on us to pray – and then after we pray…to listen… to obey…
I have a personal testimony of when I was teaching at a school in this city that was beset with a spirit of violence that year. There had been nine families in the school that had been struck by the death angel in senseless and often brutal losses of life. The school was in a constant state of mourning. How can learning go on in a place like that? The Holy Spirit told me to get two other teachers (which grew to more) who I felt would be willing to go into a classroom, after school, and pray for the deaths to stop – every week we prayed – and to the glory of God – the deaths stopped – that year and the next I was there!
I’ve said what I have to say – what is God saying to you?
God Bless You,
Maria
God is saying Watch and PRAY. We must continue to educate our children naturally and spiritually. Lay hands on them, anoint them with oil and decree what God has said about them. I have a 16 year old son and I am in constant pray for him, his school and our city that the violence will stop and God will arrest the hearts of these hurting young people who are desensitized in regard to human life. So many are are grieved by these losses.