No Weapons Formed Against Us …

Working with youth in an urban environment is not without challenges, and those committed to serving children soon realize it is the proverbial labor of love. From January to April 2010, Chicago has experienced more shootings than over twelve months in previous years—two incidents closely impacting us at Starfish (though, thankfully, no one was injured).

There is something vexing about the fact that folks here dive to the ground to avoid gunfire one day and calmly traverse those same streets to buy groceries or see their children to school the next. Such a community of sporadic violence forces residents to live a reality of the surreal. The abnormal becomes normal, ingested in small bites over many years, and throughout the lives of most of the young people, so that it is woven into the fabric of what is commonplace. Yes—fear exists. People, especially children, are afraid of gun-wielders hell-bent on retribution, destruction, or making a name for themselves in the eyes of their gangs. Yet, no one talks to police. No one “sees” anything. I am bewildered by this code of silence, as many of the selectively blind are mothers and fathers. Why not help remove a community menace while your child is still alive? Why protect the hellions that give Howard Street its reputation? Why serve a scourge whose ill-aim and vengeance could send a bullet into any man, woman, or child in the neighborhood?

Living in this, witnessing this (especially as someone unaccustomed to it), I admit my anger was not initially of the righteous variety. Eventually, after several deep breaths and days of reflection, these senseless incidents become less literal and more indicative of a need for prayer. Fervent prayer. This is where faith is stretched. It’s where “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” becomes alive and palatable. Unlike the lost shooters terrorizing Chicago, our weapons are not tangible, although sometimes they are audible. In prayer, we find comfort that no weapon formed against us will prosper. In prayer, we find peace that surpasses understanding, and love for those who extinguish life.

Fervent prayer. The children of Starfish (and those in the community) deserve no less. We spend more time with these kids than our own families and become, in essence, a family ourselves. I cannot adequately extol the virtues of such amazing youngsters—Imaria’s laugh, Kendrick’s droll wit, Jakaya’s squeaky voice, and Compton’s & T.T.’s dancing. Joy abounds in their movements, in their manner, as if God Himself were at play within them. It is glorious to behold.

I do not, however, attempt to sell the perfection of these youth. Only one can claim perfection, but it is not difficult to see why God delights in the young, and why Jesus beckoned them near. They are unique, delicate creatures worth protecting, valuing, and falling to our knees to cover in intercession. As for the lost, those shooting and causing neighborhood strife, their actions are further evidence of a need for prayer. Who prays for the scourge? Perhaps a grandmother or great aunt. Perhaps no one. If we do not pray for the lost, for our enemies, they may remain so.

Thus, we invite you to call on God for this neighborhood, for our precious youth, for the shooters, and for Chicago. Join us in prayer … won’t you?