As I awoke last night at 3:08AM, I was acutely aware of the pain that the parents who are involved in this tragedy in Colorado, are experiencing. These were our children. These were kids that we know. These are the treasures that the powers of wickedness in heavenly places desire to destroy. My heart aches for the parents of Philip and Tiffany, and also the parents of Stephanie and Rachel Works.

Parents figure prominently in this tragedy. They are those who will awaken in the middle of the night reminding themselves that this is not a nightmare, but it is agonizingly real. It is their hearts that will cry out in agony over the loss. It is they who will throw themselves at the feet of the Father fighting back the question that haunts all parents in pain. I will pray for these parents and for the friends of our kids–these kids who are lost to us for now. May their contribution to the kingdom, brief though it seems, continue to bear fruit. May their memory until the dead in Christ rise first, inspire us and cause us to persevere. Jesus said that a grain of wheat appears to die, but when it dies it bears fruit many times over. May it be in this case as well.

And I will pray for the parents of Matthew Murray, who may ache more deeply than all the rest. I do not judge them. I grieve with them. My guess is that they wish they could change something, wish they could have stopped whatever was going on in their son. But my guess is that they felt helpless as do all parents of prodigals. We all wish we could change something, stop the spiral, understand the circumstances. All too often we cannot. I pray for these parents, too.

Jody and I have been considering putting up a web site for parents in pain. We know some whose children have died, others who are the parents of prodigals. We know that there are few hurts so deep as those experienced by parents. This latest tragedy underscores that reality.

Even as the media goes on to other news, there is much need for prayer here.

Shalom.