Pray for mercy for our nation where acts of violence are becoming all too common–even in small town America. Pray for protection and for light to push out the darkness.

^“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:20-21

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Americans from all walks of life seem to always find a way to join hands in the face of adversity. In fact, it’s one of the most beautiful aspects of the American spirit. But with every new national tragedy, it seems that unifying spirit is a little weaker than before.

On Sunday morning, tragedy struck our great country once again.  A gunman opened fire in a place of worship killing at least 26 people and wounding 20 in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Even more heartbreaking, eight of the 26 victims were members of the same family. Yet somehow, as our country mourns the loss of innocent life, there’s a new wave of indignation directed at people who dare to pray for the victims.

That’s right. As well-intentioned Americans pray for their countrymen who were just gunned down while worshipping God, gun control advocates are bashing them for their expression of faith. Here are just a few examples from my Twitter feed:

They were praying when it happened. They don’t need our prayers. They need us to address gun violence crisis & pass sensible regulation. . https://t.co/4VetVeYBzB

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) November 6, 2017

If you pray for victims of gun violence while doing nothing else—your prayers may as well be bullets for the next mass shooting. @GOP

— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) November 6, 2017…

It’s one thing to hold strong opinions about gun control. But it’s entirely different to direct anger towards people of faith after such a horrific tragedy. Just because you might not believe in prayer, doesn’t give you the right to publicly insult those who do.

In some ways, this outrage against prayer is emblematic of national trends. As America grows increasingly hostile to Christianity, inappropriate and insensitive rhetoric regarding expressions of faith has become more acceptable. It seems the same people who pride themselves on advocating religious and cultural “tolerance” are the least tolerant when it comes to American Christians.

Prayer has been a staple of the American experience since the founding of our nation. It’s why George Washington “fervently beseech[ed] the Almighty” in his farewell address. It’s why Abraham Lincoln constantly invoked the name of God in our nation’s darkest moments. It’s why every session of Congress still opens in prayer.

Prayer is a unifying force, especially in a country entrenched in political polarization. It’s a way of humbly admitting that as mere humans, we do not have all the answers. Prayer is an expression of hope that someday all of the world’s evils will come to an end.

No matter how great gun control advocates think their policies may be, you can’t legislate evil away.… (Excerpts from Jeremy Hunt’s article at Fox News , “Texas church shooting: Keep my thoughts and prayers out of your political agenda”)