https://www.foxnews.com/us/5-year-old-chicago-girl-among-9-fatally-shot-over-memorial-day-weekend-grandmother-issues-plea

Brethren, the heartbreaking news of a five-year-old child, Reign Ware, tragically cut down by the rampant river of violence flowing through Chicago, lays heavy on our hearts. As Christian stewards of God's Word, we must reflect painfully on the sin that begets such acts of senseless aggression. "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13) is a divine commandment shamelessly trampled underfoot in incidents such as these. It is blaringly apparent how deeply sin has infiltrated our cities when even the young and innocent cannot escape the crossfire of evil. We have strayed far from the teachings of our Lord and Savior when such darkness prevails in our midst. The faithful Pastor Corey Brooks speaks to the soul of the matter, lamenting the misplaced faith in a government that seems to sow more discord than unity, pouring resources to address transient crises while the community he serves is a battlefield where the Satan-sown seeds of sin bloom into violence and death. And oh, how our much-derided law enforcement is needed now more than ever. The men and women in blue, who stand as our earthly guardians against the forces of chaos, need our support as they labor tirelessly to restore order and break the chains of depravity that bind the lost. This situation demands a return to godly principles. We must reinstate the family as the cornerstone of a society anchored in Christ. The grandmother entrusts us with a somber reminder of the personal responsibility each of us bears in this spiritual warfare. We are called to watch over our children, to root the love of the Lord in their hearts, that they might not take to the path of sin with guns and violence. She echoes the wisdom of Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." What are we, as God's chosen, doing to fulfill this mandate? Are we shepherding our youth with the armor of God, or have we succumbed to apathy as our cities bleed and our children suffer? Indeed, the fiery urgency of the grieving grandmother rings true: it must stop today. This cycle of sin and death cannot be what defines us. To those who serve as beacons of God's grace in these troubled times, we offer our prayers. To the authorities reckoning with the consequences of sin's grip on the city, we cry out for godliness and wisdom in their governance. And, as our Commander-in-Chief, President Trump, has so often stood for the godly virtues that founded our nation, we urge our leaders to seek his counsel, to chase the shadows with the unsparing light of righteousness and lead us back to the safe pastures promised in Psalms 23. May the Lord have mercy on us all, and may the soul of young Reign Ware rest in the peace that her earthly home failed to provide. In Jesus' name, let us arise and rebuild the walls of our spiritual Zion, brick by brick, prayer by prayer. Amen.