The UK has been rocked by recent allegations that the late Jimmy Savile, popular TV personality and charity campaigner, was infact one of the nation's most prolific paedophiles. The stories are shocking. The impact, devastating. The number of children hurt and the extent of the involvement of other celebrities is, as yet, unknown. So how, as Christians, can we pray? Here are our 10 thoughts…
Love - God is love (1John 4:8). And his love knows no bounds. Pray that all those affected by the recent reports will come to know God's love in a deeper way in the coming weeks and months.
Truth - Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). Pray that he wont get a foothold but instead the investigations, the reporting, the statements will be saturated with truth.
Healing - The torment of being abused lingers long after the act of being abused in over. Pray that those who were hurt as children will turn to the Lord for healing and help in their distress (Psalm 103:1-6)
Justice - God cares about right and wrong and he wants his followers to care too (Micah 6:8). Pray that those who have abused in the past or are abusing now will be brought to justice.
Repentance - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). Pray for those who have abused and those who have covered up abuse that they will repent of the damage they have done to others and the sin they have committed against God.
Salvation - Our precious Lord calls sinners and strugglers to follow him (Mark 2:17). Pray that those who have hurt others and those who have been hurt will come to know God as Lord and Saviour - author and perfecter of their lives.
Forgiveness - The Christian call is to forgive those who have hurt us because we have been forgiven much (Colossians 3:13). Pray that any Christians who have been abused will be salt and light and show the power of forgiveness, even when that's desperately hard.
Humility - Pray for one another that we will not look down on the accused or speak thoughtlessly about those who have been hurt but instead remember that we are all sinners (Romans 3:10) and all strugglers. Our call is to point others to Jesus.
Transformation - No-one is beyond the transformational work of God. Pray for those who are struggling with paedophilic temptations right now that they will seek help and receive help to change. Pray that they will be renewed by the transforming of their mind (Romans 12:2).
Glory - One day there will be a world where there is no more crying, no more pain, no more child abuse (Revelation 21:4). Pray that all those involved will grasp the wonder of the promise of perfection to come and follow Jesus as the way to that glorious life.
