Brent and Kelly King of San Diego, California are living every parent’s nightmare. On Tuesday searchers found the body of their 17 year old daughter, Chelsea. She had been raped and then murdered. The following day police arrested John Albert Gardner III, 30, a registered sex offender, and charged him in the case. I can only imagine the trauma the Kings are enduring.

We live in a dangerous, sometimes brutal world. Our children are really never safe. And once they are out of sight, they are often beyond our control. Our arms are not long enough or strong enough to always and forever guard them. It’s at times like this that we turn to prayer, and throw our trust on the One who is always there, and faithful, and strong, and good. We pray for the Kings for comfort. We pray for our own children for supernatural protection, and for ourselves, peace.

God, this world is hostile. And sometimes violence and pain fall on good and innocent people. As parents we see this and the insecurity these threats spark in us are sometimes immobilizing. We cannot insure the safety of our own children. Our reach is too short, and we can never even anticipate all the risks they might face. Often our imaginations run wild. Our fears for our children – and for ourselves seeing our children in danger or pain – can overwhelm us. God, when we come to the end of our ability to control things we turn to you. We ask for your protection over our children, over their choices, over the friends they make, over the encounters they have with other adults. God, stand guard. We do not always understand how your protection works, and why some who call to you are seemingly not kept safe. Still, we ask for your presence in the lives of our kids. Who else can we trust, but we? We certainly cannot secure their lives ourselves. And you do promise to guard and protect when we ask. ‘The Lord is my refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.’ This is the promise we claim for our children. Be ever present with them, and keep them from danger and sickness and violence and foolishness and accidents of nature. Send angels to be beside them today. When we can’t trust ourselves, we trust you. In Jesus…”