Lewiston, Maine, was plunged into chaos Wednesday night as two separate mass shootings unfolded, claiming the lives of at least 16 people and 50 injured. The incidents occurred at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley, and Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant around 7 p.m. ET. The suspected shooter, identified as Robert Card, 40, of Bowdoin, is now the subject of a widespread manhunt. Authorities have labeled him armed and dangerous. Card, a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserve, had reportedly made threats of a shooting at a National Guard facility in Saco, Maine. According to officials, he also disclosed mental health issues, including hearing voices. Read more at ChristianHeadlines.com.
Please join us in prayer for the people of Maine:
Dear Lord,
Thank you that you are our God and that you are near no matter how many senseless acts of violence occur in this country and others. Help us to know what to pray for the people of Maine, and help us to keep them in our prayers as we go about our day today. Help us always turn to you for guidance, and specifically in times of horrific loss like this shooting, fill our hearts and minds with prayers when we are at a loss for what to say or think.
Lord we pray for the families who lost loved ones in this senseless mass shooting, and we pray for the families who don’t know yet if their loved ones are okay, wounded, or possibly lost. Please help all the responders and officials involved to get answers as quickly as they can to these families. We pray for the family members who are at the hospital and reunification center right now, waiting to find out if their loved one is there and how they are doing. Give us hearts of compassion for these families and friends who are now in shock, who may be mourning, who are angry, who may be fearful, and for all who are waiting for answers. Comfort them as they wait, Holy Spirit, and help them to find solace in you when the waiting feels endless. Remind them that people are praying alongside them, whose hearts are breaking with them during this uncertain and frightening time.
We pray for blessings of wisdom and energy for the FBI, local police force, and first responders as they continue to work tirelessly. Please gift the medical providers of the wounded with the knowledge needed to provide quick and capable care to all of those afflicted by this violence. We pray for all the extra workers who sacrificed their night or day off to go and help their colleagues stay afloat during this tragedy. May their presence provide courage and rest for the weary. We pray for Main Medical Center and MaineHealth hospitals as they treat and care for injured patients transferred from Lewiston. We pray for the safety of the hospital workers and patients who are locked down, and we pray for the safety of those transporting patients.
We know that vengeance belongs to you God, so, we ask that you bring justice to this evil situation. We also know that evil is not hidden from you, and darkness cannot cover your light. Jesus, we pray that your light would shine into this darkness, exposing the truth and allowing nothing to be hidden. Holy Spirit, please convict the man responsible for this shooting and do not allow him to remain hidden. We pray that this man would harm no one else, and we pray for protection over law enforcement, over Lewiston and surrounding area citizens in their homes, Lewiston and surrounding area citizens who are traveling, over medical professionals and first responders, over government officials and media outlets.
Please keep the college students at Bates College in Lewiston safe and locked down as they wait to hear updates. And we pray for the parents who are also anxiously awaiting news. We ask that you keep families and individuals safe who are locked down in their homes; we thank you that schools will remain canceled to ensure safety and clear roads. Lord, we pray for the parents of young children who are trying to find the words to describe what is happening and why safety precautions must be taken right now.
We thank you for the bravery of the witnesses of all ages stepping forward to provide information to law enforcement, and we pray for their safety. We pray that you would protect the minds of those who witnessed such an atrocity, Holy Spirit, especially the young minds who witnessed this shooting and loved ones dying firsthand. May their weary minds be relieved from an endless loop of what they saw.
We pray for protection for everyone at the reunification center, and we thank you that they are able to care for one another as they wait there. We pray for anyone alone and scared right now that they may be able to join other friends or family soon. We pray for steady minds for those locked down in their homes, uncertain about this unconcluded tragedy.
Jesus, we pray for a quick end to this horrific evil act in Maine. May your light expose every corner of this darkness, providing a swift path for justice. Please cover the people of Maine with your peace as they wait with heavy burdens, Holy Spirit.
Thank you for hearing our prayers, Father God. Amen.
Today, if you have the blessing of hugging your husband, wife, child/children, mother, father, siblings, grandparents, other family members, or friends today, hold them tight, remembering the lives that were lost without goodbyes in Lewiston, Maine last night. Continue to pray alongside us as we learn more ways to pray over this tragedy.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Joseph Sohm