Following the seventeen Parkland, Florida shooting deaths in February 2018, I wrote and shared a prayer, Seventeen Candles, with the Bending Angel community asking for God to help America find ways to end gun violence in our schools. Sadly, in Santa Fe, Texas on May 18, 2018 ten more lives were taken in high school.

Rather than reposting that prayer, I adapted it to once again to honor those who died, to heal the brokenhearted and to enlist God’s help in protecting His children who are in school. Every child has the right to learn without fear of harm or death from weapons at school.

Heavenly Father, on this day in Santa Fe

In Texas, the Lone Star State,

Ten more of Your children were taken away.

First responders soon arrived

To pick up the students and teacher who died.

One young man brandishing hate

With evil sealed their earthly fates.

But, Your love was far deeper, everlasting, and great.

Once the sun had set on this tragic night,

Ten more candles in darkness shined with Your light.

Hatred and evil did not win this day

As Your love and Your angels

Led them to You and their Savior’s way.

As these words find their place on paper with pen.

Please help America to find ways

For this not to happen again and again.

There must be more that we all can do

To protect the children who come to us from You.

Ten more candles, children of light.

Ten more spirits, holy and bright.

Ten more souls illumined by Christ.

 

God, please hold these candles from Santa Fe in Your Hands.

Please show us the way to end school deaths by guns.

Ten more candles,

Ten more spirits,

Ten more children,

Saved by your Son.  Amen.

If you like this prayer, please share.

Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 120-lawyer full service firm in Houston, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker.  For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.