We are afraid to walk the streets.
We are afraid to go outside.
We are afraid of the young men
with guns in their hands,
drugs in their blood,
and death a breath away.
O God,
hear our prayer
for families,
neighbors,
and friends.
Deliver us from this violence,
from danger and death.
Give us the courage to face each day
and to walk the streets
in safety
once again.
Amen.
source: Adapted from “Prayers of Our Hearts” © 1991 Vienna Cobb Anderson. Reprinted with the permission of the author.