This week the headlines have been crushing: another school shooting in Colorado, an assassination here at home, a Ukrainian refugee killed in Charlotte, new drone attacks spilling into Poland, and wars raging in both Ukraine and the Middle East. It feels like the world is unraveling—and our hearts are carrying more than they can hold.

The Bible never asks us to look away from violence. Instead, it gives us words of lament:
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” (Psalm 13:1)
God is not offended by our grief or our questions. He welcomes our cries. To lament is an act of faith—it means we believe God cares enough to hear.

Paul reminds us that “the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:22). The violence we witness is part of that groaning. It is not the way things were meant to be, and it stirs our longing for the kingdom of peace Christ promised.

At the cross, Jesus did not sidestep violence—He entered into it. “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). This means we do not carry the world’s brokenness alone. Christ shoulders it with us, and He is redeeming it even now.

Scripture calls us not to give in to despair, but to live as peacemakers:
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
In a violent world, every act of compassion, every prayer for peace, every refusal to hate is an act of resistance against the darkness.

Revelation paints a picture of the day when violence will finally end:
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). This promise is not sentimental—it is certain. The God who conquered death will make all things new.

Prayer is where we begin—but it cannot be where we stop.

• Support those who are suffering: reach out to families, neighbors, and communities touched by violence with tangible care.
• Advocate for peace and justice: use your voice to call for safer schools, protection for the vulnerable, and wise leadership that seeks the common good.
• Practice everyday peacemaking: in conversations, on social media, in how you treat those who disagree with you—let your presence reduce fear and not add to it.
• Stand with the global body of Christ: partner with ministries, counselors, and humanitarian efforts bringing healing in places torn apart by war.

To follow Jesus is to refuse despair and to embody hope in action.

Lord, our hearts are weary from bearing the weight of so much violence. We grieve the lives lost, the wars that rage, and the fear that shadows our days. Draw near to the brokenhearted. Teach us to be peacemakers in our words, our homes, our communities. And anchor us in the hope that one day, You will wipe away every tear and make all things new. Until that day, help us to hold fast to You. Amen.