Article March 10, 2014 Issue

My school was in lockdown: How I prayed

Brooke Engel

There have been many moments in my life when I’ve had to rely on God for healing. But never before had I been challenged the way I was when there was a shooting at my school, Arapahoe High School in Colorado, last December.

As soon as the shooting began, my teacher quickly and calmly executed the lockdown protocol—closing the door, turning the lights off, and keeping the class quiet. Though I didn’t really comprehend what was happening at first, I was paralyzed with fear for my class as well as my friends and teachers in the other parts of the building. My teacher assured us that we were safe, and a fellow classmate held my hand in support.

All I could do was pray, and the only thing I could think of in that moment was my favorite hymn, No. 148, from the Christian Science Hymnal. It begins:

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