The pastor of Nancy Guthrie’s church led his congregation in prayer for the safe return of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, who has been missing for 10 days.
“Lord God, here we are, in the valley of the shadow,” Pastor John Tittle began, a reference to Psalm 23. “And we turn to You, Lord, in our hour of need and we cry out for mercy. God, we pray that, out of darkness, Light will shine. And so we pray, we pray for Nancy’s rescue, we pray for her release, we pray that she would be brought safely home.”
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He continued, “Jesus, You told us, ‘The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.’ And so God, we beseech You, deliver us from evil. Lord, we gather together as Your people, we come together and we look to You in prayer, prayer for protection over Nancy in this moment — body, mind, and soul. And her family, send Your angels to surround her and to minister to her and her family in this moment.”
Tittle went on to ask God that Nancy Guthrie would “sense deep in her soul our prayers and our love for her” and that “the peace that passeth all understanding would guard the hearts and the minds of Nancy and her family,” a reference to Philippians 4:7.
Tittle offered the prayer during the Sunday service at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona, where Nancy Guthrie has been a member for about 30 years.
The pastor petitioned God for wisdom for local and national law enforcement authorities searching for Nancy Guthrie, who was ostensibly kidnapped sometime between 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, and early morning Sunday, Feb. 1.
The family was made aware of the octogenarian’s disappearance after concerned friends didn’t hear from Nancy Guthrie, who was supposed to show up for a gathering to watch a livestream of Good Shepherd New York, Savannah Guthrie’s church in New York City.
“Lord, we ask that You would soften the hearts of those who are responsible, that they might come forward and do what is humane and what is right,” Tittle prayed. “We pray for mercy, for grace, to prevail. And we pray all this in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace who is our crucified and our riseon Lord. Amen and amen.”
Tittle’s Sunday prayer came just before the deadline for an alleged ransom demand passed. Neither the FBI nor the Pima County Sheriff’s Office publicly verified the authenticity of the note, which was sent to three different media outlets and demanded $6 million in bitcoin, according to NBC News.
On Monday, Savannah Guthrie posted a downtrodden video to her Instagram account, thanking all those who have been praying for her mother and family.
“We believe our mom is still out there,” she said. “We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly, around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken and we don’t know where, and we need your help. So I’m coming on just to ask you not just for your prayers but no matter where you are — even if you’re far from Tucson — if you see anything, if your hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report [it] to law enforcement. We are at an hour of desperation. And we need your help.”
Savannah Guthrie’s pastor appeared on NBC’s “Today” on Tuesday morning, describing the well-known anchor’s mother as a “strong woman” who is “fiercely loving.”
“Prayer opens up possibilities in our own hearts,” said Good Shepherd Pastor Michael Rudzena. “Leaving a door open for hope is a way to fight against that fatality.”
Please continue to pray for the Guthrie family in this tragic situation.
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