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Crime is on the rise even though the media keeps telling us it is not. The actual rising crime, and the misinformation about it, are creating further strain on already pressured law enforcement. Let’s come alongside law enforcement in prayer.
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Prayer for protection when called to suppress a riot
Over the past four years, the U.S. experienced fifty-five riots involving 15-16 million people. During the George Floyd riots, 6,000 law enforcement officers were assaulted, with 31 percent sustaining injuries. Forty officers lost their lives.
Prayer: Father, we pray Your word of protection over law enforcement officers who face angry crowds of rioters. A thousand may fall in one direction and ten thousand in another, but no harm will come near them. You command Your angles over them to keep them safe from all harm. (Psalm 91:7, 11)
Prayer when called to break up a domestic fight
Between 960,000 – 3,000,000 incidents of domestic violence are reported each year. Law enforcement officers often put themselves at risk when they intervene in domestic fights that escalate to where individuals are in grave physical danger or death.
Prayer: Father, when law enforcement men and women arrive at a location where there is an abuse of women and children, we ask that you help them defend the weak and the fatherless and uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. May they rescue the weak and the needy and deliver them from the hands of the wicked. (Psalms 82:3-4)
When approaching an active shooter
Between 2021 -2022, the FBI designated 111 active shooter incidents. Officers face danger when they must overpower an active shooter. A recent report from a government-funded database revealed 23 percent of Mass shooters were on prescription drugs. Typically, the perpetrator’s targets are unsuspecting innocent people, posing one of the greatest dangers an officer must face.
Prayer: Father, we ask for protection for innocent bystanders, students, teachers, and support staff in schools, arenas, shopping malls, and those attending concerts. Dispell all fear and give officers wisdom to secure a quick end to the situation. Give direction and inner strength to law enforcement as they enter buildings or locations with an active shooter. Be a lamp unto their feet and a light on their path. Let them boldly say, The Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man can do to me. (Psalm 119:105) (Hebrews 13:6)
Approaching a situation where drugs are involved
Since 1999, over one million people have died of drug overdose, and 1.6 million people are arrested annually due to drug-related offenses. There is no reliable data on people who take prescription medication that alters their sense of right and wrong.
Prayer: Father, we acknowledge that drug usage is a plague in our nation. We ask for a revival where people turn to You in repentance and ask for Your forgiveness for not acknowledging You as the Creator and Your Son, Jesus, as our Savior. We ask for Your forgiveness as we are the ones who often put our law enforcement in harm’s way by excessive drug usage among our people. We ask for spiritually astute police who know how to fight this battle in the spirit so that our nation remains strong and our people live safely. (Psalm 106: 28-30)
When called to the scene of someone threatening suicide
It’s not uncommon for the police to be called to the scene when someone has threatened to commit suicide or called by family or friends of someone deceased due to suicide. In 2022, one person committed suicide every 11 minutes for a total of 49,449 people.
Prayer: Father, we ask that You help those officers who intervene in suicides. Allow them to rescue those led away by the enemy of their souls to death. Give those who intervene words of life that will cause them to want to live and not die and declare the works of God. (Proverbs 15:11) (Psalm 118:17)
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Nancy Huff is an educator with a mission to equip believers to pray strategically for the Cultural Mountain of Education. She has authored Taking the Mountain of Education: A Strategic Prayer Guide to Transform America’s Schools, Safety Zone: Scriptural Prayers to Revolutionize Your School, and Decrees for Your School. She leads prayer groups to pray at key educational locations across the US. For additional information, go to: https://takingthemountainofeducation.com/author/nancyahuff/. Photo credit: AJ Colores on Unsplash.