Grieving a Tragedy - Psalm 57 - Pondering The Psalms

Today we offer a meditation on Grieving a Tragedy. Here in the United States, we have recently experienced the pain and trauma of gun violence in an elementary school in Texas, a grocery store in New York, and a church in California.   We can become desensitized and unable to process so much tragic news. Often words alone seem inadequate. We need silence in the presence of a Holy God.   So today we make space to grieve and mourn for those who are mourning. We make space to get in touch with our own feelings and emotions. And we make space to consider how God is calling us to action and to show compassion to those hurting.   We’ll be meditating on a prayer from Psalm 57, TPT. We invite you to prepare a quiet place for this time of meditation. Perhaps light a candle. Don’t rush or hurry this time. Linger as long as you need to process your feelings.    Have mercy on me, O God…for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 57:1 NLT   These are the 19 children and 2 teachers whose lives were taken at Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas: Alexandria Aniyah Rubio, 10 Amerie Jo Garza, 10 Tess Marie Mata, 10 Jose Flores, 10 Miranda Mathis, 11 Maite Rodriguez, 10 Makenna Lee Elrod, 10 Xavier Lopez, 10 Eliana Garcia, 9 Layla Salazar, 10 Eliahana Cruz Torres, 10 Alithia Ramierz, 10 Jackie Cazares, 10 Annabelle Rodriguez, 10 Jailah Silguero, 10 Jayce Luevanos, 10 Uziyah Garcia, 9 Nevaeh Bravo, 10 Rojelio Torres, 10 Eva Mireles, 44 Irma Garcia, 46   California Church  Dr. John Cheng, 52   These are the names of the lives taken in the Buffalo, New York Grocery Store mass shooting: Roberta A, Drury, 32 Margus D. Morrison, 52 Andre Mackneil, 53 Aaron Salter, 55 Geraldine Talley, 62 Celestine Chaney, 65 Heyward Patterson, 67 Katherine Massey, 72 Pearl Young, 77 Ruth Whitfield, 86