CTK Guide For Praying About The Special Case
How to pray together
It may be difficult to pray together, especially if it is with people you do not know well – there will be a variety of viewpoints and experiences related to this case.
Be thoughtful and careful with your words - Ask God to make you sensitive to the hearts of others who may feel a variety of different things.
You don’t have to pray about everything or everyone related to this.
You can acknowledge that you may not know what to pray and just ask God to help.
Try to avoid sharing your conclusions/convictions about the situation in your prayers (i.e., ‘God we know this did/didn’t happen, so…’) while we are in a time of investigation.
You’re going to make mistakes. Ask for grace and give it.
You or others may express strong emotions. It is okay to stop praying and simply say, “Amen.” It is also okay to step away from the group that is praying if you are uncomfortable.
How to pray individually
Let your most honest prayers be between you and the Lord and/or with those to whom you are closest (where grace is most likely to be given and received and where we are less likely to hurt or be hurt).
Submit your heart, views, and feelings to God that he might gently care for you and lead you in them.
Submit the outcome of all this to God.
Specific Prayers: (Thank. Confess. Ask.)
Thank God that his power of healing is even for situations like these.
Thank God that he has provided financially for us to be able to pursue a thorough investigation and for the help we’ve received so far.
Thank God that he will make all things right in the end and that he is working all things for the good.
Confess the ways we seek control that is not ours, but God’s.
Confess where we have little patience or grace in regards to this.
Ask God to bring clarity about what has happened, and to care for us even if he does not give clarity in the end.
Ask God to guide the Session as we investigate and care for the church and those involved.
Ask God to heal what has been broken.