In the aftermath of the tragedy that occurred on Friday, December 14, 2012, only the very naïve can say that we don’t live in a world ruled by sin and evil. Non-believers might use this horrific event to question the viability of God’s existence—some may even get some kind of satisfaction from throwing in our faces a God that will allow the death of innocent children for no reason whatsoever.
In light of this event, our pastor put aside his scheduled message Sunday morning to speak to this very issue. He implored us to go beyond the emotional reaction we might default to—anger, criticism, pettiness, retaliation and hate—and instead strive to mourn, comfort, be prayerful, reach out and love. It’s natural to seek blame in order to make sense of something that is so senseless. If we can find a reason then maybe we can reach that place of temporary security once again. But the truth is, there is no security in this world aside from that which we find in our Lord and Savior.
I was a fan of the television show Gilmore Girls, which took place in the imaginary town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut—a place not unlike Newton–about forty miles from Hartford and sixty miles from New York City. It was such an intricate part of the storyline, it became another character, like Lorelie, Rory and Luke. I’ve thought many times how wonderful it would be to live in such a charming town—a place untouched by evil. But the tragic event of last Friday put an end to that fantasy. There is no such place.
For weeks, I’ve been praying for a revival in this country. We’ve not only turned our backs on God, but we’ve made it a point to obliterate Him—from our government, our schools and our workplaces. When something tragic happens (such as 9/11 or Friday’s horrific massacre) our churches fill up as people search for God’s blessing and comfort—like the Israelites did in the Old Testament. But if you’ve read the scriptures for yourself, you know what happened. God showed mercy, and the Israelites once again fell into sin and disobedience, quickly forgetting their dependence on Him.
Just like us.
I won’t pretend to understand the reasons God allowed evil to reign in that small Connecticut town, but I believe in His promise to turn what man means for evil into good. I believe that many lives will be changed—maybe even saved—due to this recent tragedy. We can’t fathom the unfathomable, but we can put our trust in God—even when fear trickles its way into our spirit.
So as we move toward Christmas, a season that should be filled with joy, I’ll set my heart to prayer—prayer for the families of those killed last Friday; prayer for the children left behind that have to face that nightmare day in and day out; prayer for the first responders on the scene. Prayer for this country. That we might come to a place of dependence on God in the reality of our failures and weaknesses.
