Haven’t we been here before? It all seems so familiar—sitting in front of the television, seeing the beautiful faces of children gone too soon, victims of yet another school shooting.

They are scenes from another country, from our American neighbours to the south, and yet it hits close to home. As the sister of an elementary school teacher, my heart breaks for educators. As a mother, I am numb, and I commit to giving my children extra snuggles before bed.

My social media feed fills with messages ranging from sorrow to indignation to anger, with maps of Texas overlaid with hearts and lists of school shootings long past: Columbine, Taber, Sandy Hook and now Uvalde. Cries of “never again” and “when will this end?” abound. Interspersed with the online chatter is a clarion call to pray for Uvalde and an assurance that those affected are in the “thoughts and prayers” of the masses.

But what if thoughts and prayers aren’t enough?

Don’t get me wrong—I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in the importance of lifting our voices and hearts to a God who listens to the cries of the people. Jesus himself taught us to pray and modelled a prayer-filled life for us. When we pray as a response to tragic circumstances, whether mass murder, a natural disaster or social injustice, we do not do so in vain.

And yet, in situations like these, when we are apt to feel helpless and hopeless, prayers can be used as a gimmick, a quick fix or simply a soundbite. Sometimes they are used as a Band-Aid to cover a wound—likely our own, rather than that of the victim. Too often, they are merely empty platitudes.

In the aftermath of a school shooting or other tragic circumstances, the call to prayer comes from a place of recognizing that something is wrong, that this is not the way the world should be. We have been taught to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven (see Matthew 6:10). When we pray about the hard things in this world—when we turn to God despairing over gun violence or human trafficking, climate change or poverty—it comes from a place of good intentions and right thoughts. However, these prayers far too often become a one-way conversation when we close our ears to hearing what God truly has to say on these issues.

There’s a good chance that God’s answers to our prayers will require personal sacrifice. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to be catalysts for change in the world and, as such, if we are truly engaging prayerfully with God, we will likely be called to act accordingly.

The vision statement of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda reminds us that we are “mobilized to share hope where there is hardship, building communities that are just and know the love of Jesus.” We are called to care for the oppressed and wounded, to fight for justice and to be ambassadors for Jesus. This is not an abstract concept, but one that requires hands-on effort.

But are we willing to receive that message from God? If God asks it of us, are we willing to change our shopping habits for the sake of the environment? Are we willing to petition our politicians for the sake of needed reforms? Are we willing to donate funds to support victims of human trafficking? I’m not sure. But I hope that we are.

We need more than thoughts and prayers. Thoughts and prayers are a good starting point, but they should not be where our efforts stop. They should propel us toward concrete action, even when it requires personal sacrifice. The world needs real, meaningful change. And it starts with us.

Captain Laura Van Schaick is the corps officer at Barrhaven Church in Ottawa and the divisional secretary for women’s ministries in the Ontario Division.

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