15/12/2025
A prayer for Bondi.
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Our Father in Heaven,
We are shaken by the horrendous crimes that have been committed at Bondi and we grieve for those who have been affected. We ache for their families and we pray for those who are hurting, frightened, angry, or confused. We pray that you would be near to them in comfort, especially to those who have been injured and are recovering from the physical and mental scars of that day.
Yet in our sorrow, we do not — we must not — turn away from you. Please help us to look to our Lord Jesus Christ and pour our laments to the One who is acquainted with grief, a refuge in our time of trouble and mighty to calm the storms within our soul.
We give thanks for your Son, who out of love entered a world marked by darkness, violence and injustice. Who wept with the grieving, comforted the sorrowful and welcomed the fearful. Who himself was subjected to the depths of human sinfulness, cruelty and depravity. But on the cross, Jesus willingly bore our sin and our death, and in doing so conquered the power of sin and evil. And on the third day, he rose again, declaring that sin, death and darkness will not have the final word.
We thank you that you are not distant from our pain. In Christ, the Everlasting Father, You entered our suffering. You meet us in our grief as individuals, you count our tears and draw near to the brokenhearted.
While these truths may be difficult to grasp in moments like this, we know that they are not empty words.
We pray for the Jewish community and the alarming rise of antisemitism that has seeped into our country. Help us not to be swept away by the waves of popular political and cultural rhetoric, but by your Spirit’s enabling help us to discern between evil and righteousness. Help us not to see talking points and statistics but souls made in the image of God who need a Saviour.
We pray for our leaders, that you would guide them to make wise and even difficult choices for the good of our country and the safety of her people. Help them to uphold justice and righteousness by “punishing those who do evil and to praise those who do good”.
We thank you for the bravery of the men and women (civilians, police, paramedics and others), who have put their lives on the line to subdue the criminals, minimise casualties and save lives.
During this dark time, help us to rest in your sovereignty and wisdom, trusting that you remain powerful even over the greatest evils of mankind, and that you are more than able to use them for the greater good, the salvation of souls and the glory of your name.
Remind us to stand firm in the hope and light of the Gospel: that the promise of sins forgiven, life, peace and reconciliation can only be found in the Triune God of the Scriptures.
Finally, please come soon, Lord Jesus. We wait with hope and anticipation for your return when all things will be made new and everything will be made right.
Amen.
