Thoughts on the Shooting Friday at the Connecticut School
By Pastor Mark Taylor
I have been asking the Lord to give me some words to say to you about the senseless killing of 20 children and 6 adults. I have both prayed and listened to other religious leaders of all faiths comment on this tragedy. Like them, I do not know “why”, and no one ever will. There is probably no answer that will satisfy the grief and pain the families of these children or even those of us who grieve for their lost.
I know it is easy to be mad at God, and say “Why didn’t He stop it?” But that is both wrong thinking and the wrong question.
God has reminded me that I do not have to defend Him. But one thing I can say is what I know about serving God, reading His Word, and listening to hundreds of sermons and reading many books.
First of all I can say that God did not want this to happen and that He is broken hearted for the families that are suffering.”
Some will say that “He allowed it to happen.” leaving the impression that He could have stopped it. I would say that you cannot equate “allowing” and “blame”. You may allow your son or daughters to drive a car or ride with someone else in a car and they could be killed in a car accident. You are not the blame and in most cases the people in the car are not the blame.
God has given us all “free will”. That is a gift from God. He chose to make us in His image and not robots. He has chosen to give us free will to love Him or reject Him. He has chosen to give us free will to do good, to do evil, or to do nothing. We can see God’s response to death as He allowed His Son to die for our sins on the cross.
There is also a evil person that has gained control over many people. His name is Satan. Jesus said this: “The thief (Satan), has come to kill, steal and destroy, but I have come to give them life and to give them life more abundantly.” (John 10:10).
The world is full of evil in TV show, Movies, Video Games, Books, Computers, and many other things that people read and watch everyday. Think about what is in the material you have read and things you have seen. Adults and young people are exposed to hours upon hours of killing, cursing, disrespect to parents and adults, and disrespect to God and the Church.
Our society has disregarded God’s Word and teaching on Abortion, Pre-martial sex, homosexuality,. In addition to this, drinking alcohol and taking drugs is accepted as normal by celebrities and sports role models. When you think these things are normal and ok with God, you have left yourself open to Satan’s influence and control. How many unborn babies could have lived and brought great joy and knowledge into this world?
Add to this to the fact that many parents have chosen to keep their children away from the Church and teachings of God about love and caring for one another. Fewer young people are growing up in a home where prayer or Bible reading is apart of their families. Many children and young people are growing up in broken homes and one-parent homes and suffering from the mistakes of their parents.
The Bible has told us about the times we are living in:
But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3: 1-5)
There is very little I know that we can do for the parents and loved ones of the children who were murdered on Friday, December 14. But there is something we can do for our children for each other. The most important thing we can do is to take seriously Prayer for the safety of our children and grandchildren and loved ones. We say in the Lord’s Prayer - “Lead us not (do not allow us to go) into temptation, and deliver us from evil”. This is the prayer that the Lord Jesus told us to pray to our Heavenly Father. If it did not work, He would not have told us to pray it. You and I should pray it each and every day, several times a day and mean it.
Secondly, we need to love and spend time with those we love. We do not know when our last day or their last day on Earth will be. We need to tell them we love them and show them we love them with our time and attention.
Thirdly, we need to be thankful each day for our children, our husbands and wives, for our parents and grandparents, and those we love and care about. Life is a gift, but it only lasts on this earth for a short time. If you live to be 100, it is a short time compared to the time you have to spend in eternity, that is Heaven or Hell.
Finally, know that the children who were murdered and other children who have died from sickness or accidents, have not really died - that is they have not ceased to exist. They are still alive in Heaven. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ said: “And whosoever believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:26). The Bible teaches, and I believe also that children and the mentally handicapped who have not had a chance to receive or reject Christ will go to Heaven. That is a whole different subject.
I know this short message is not the answer to the question “why”, but it is something to pray about and think about as you grieve for the children and adults that died last Friday in this terrible shooting.
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