How to pray for the people of Manchester, England.

Our hearts mourn today for the people of Manchester, England.

This horrible terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert primarily attended by young girls is just unthinkable.

It is simply pure evil.

On days like today, we wonder what to say, especially on social media. Here is something not to say:

“Thoughts and prayers to . . .” or simply “Thoughts to . . .”

Thoughts to?

The better thing would be to say, “Praying FOR the families of the victims.” You cannot technically send “prayers to” someone who has died. You would pray for the families, friends, and survivors. To me, to simply say “thoughts to” is almost meaningless.

The best thing to say might be something along the lines of “Words cannot express how sad we are. We are praying for the families of the victims of this attack.”

What is most important is that we actually do pray. Often we say we will, but we don’t. Think about this for a moment: What if this were your city and what if these were your children?

Then pray for those who are mourning and are afraid. And pray for God’s protection in our country. And remember to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. That is the only way to be sure your prayers will be heard in Heaven.