Opioids have gained a stronghold on our communities. I participated in a meeting with Virginia First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin on her initiative to fight the fentanyl epidemic. It was deeply moving. I heard deeply disturbing stories about how teenagers seeking relief from pain. They took what they thought was paracetamol but were given a fatal dose of fentanyl.
How tragic!
We are losing so many of our dear ones. We must be aware. We must pray. We must act!
Below is the prayer I prayed to open the event. I pray this prayer for every community, family, and person experiencing the plague of opioids.
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Dear Lord,
Thanks for all here today and for First Lady Youngkin. In times like these, we need a savior. Save us from ourselves. Our communities are suffering from poisonous addictions. Our mental health is challenged amid the fast-paced, reckless realities of hopelessness.
We are losing family members, gifts to our communities, gifted loved ones, and friends. We lift their families as their grief lingers and sometimes leads to more addiction.
The need is beyond our human resources. Yet, we care. We love. We turn to You. May our souls discover divine answers. We desperately need your peace, your hope, and your healing.
We are here because we believe. We believe that redemption is on the horizon. We believe each person has a gift that leads to your redemption. We believe in hope. We believe our families can be healed. We believe that there is a balm in Gilead to heal the soul.
Reveal your answers. We receive your wisdom, your balm of healing, your salvation now.
In Jesus’s name, Amen!
