Last week, I was asked by a variety of people as to how we as Christians and a church ought to respond to the injustice black people endure, most readily seen in the tragic death of George Floyd. On one hand, there is an urgency to this question. And, simultaneously on the other hand requires a long-term commitment. So over the next few weeks, as a partial answer to the question of a response, I’ll offer a few thoughts.
First, we must begin with prayer.
Prayer reminds us of who God is and what he does. He is holy, just, loving, and unchanging. When we pray, as we center ourselves in him, then our perspective changes. Prayer reminds us that our battle is not against the flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12.) Justice is not in our hands but in the Lord’s hands.
As we go through crises, from COVID to civil unrest, it is hard to know what to pray for — given the uncertainty that comes from being amid transitions.
So here are 4 themes to guide your own personal prayers, which are taken from Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail and are adapted from Duke Kwon’s blog post here.
Pray, not for superficial peace, but for justice.
King, “…who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice…”
Within scripture, you could only have peace when justice was done (Jeremiah 6:14). So pray against evil, injustice, and violence. This could take on several forms, like looting, violent protests and riots, along with police brutality. Mourn the unheard cries of justice. Pray for the safety of protestors, that their lives would not be endangered by foolishness. Pray also for law enforcement officers - for their safety, to be sober-minded, and to be vigilant.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear the hurt and anger. Help us not to miss or overlook things that we do not experience. Let us not use order to cover up racism, law to cover up sin.
Pray for repentance and racial reconciliation.
Pray for the underlying causes of unrest, not for its effects alone.
King, “You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes.”
Pray that black people will be honored, valued, and dignified as being created in God’s image. When you can be shot while running, shot in the middle of the night in your bed, or choked to death - the simple lesson to acknowledge is that black people aren’t valued as God’s image-bearers.
Pray not merely for “social issues” generally, but for our black brothers and sisters particularly.
King, “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. … If one recognizes this vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand why public demonstrations are taking place. The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides—and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history. So I have not said to my people: ‘Get rid of your discontent.’ Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action.”
The “latent frustrations” that burden, agitate, and grieve our black brothers and sisters of course extend back to centuries of oppression and trauma. Pray for black people as they are likely tired or perhaps afraid by recent events. Support them with gentle, wise love. Lastly, as Duke Kwon wrote: “pray not merely for the ceasing of their protest, but rather, for nonviolence in their protest—and for healthy forms of ‘release’ and ‘expression’ of ‘repressed emotions,’ including fear, righteous resentment, and tears.”
Pray for the church.
King, “In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churchmen stand on the sideline and mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: "Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern." … In deep disappointment, I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. ... Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists.”
Pray that the church would be a house of prayer (Is. 56:7). That we would do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). May the Spirit guide us to do good, seek justice, rebuke the ruthless, defend the orphan, and plead the widow’s cause (Isaiah 1:17).
It’s my prayer, that Iron Works Church, would lean into this moment. The place to start: is prayer.
