May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, Save the
children of the needy And crush the oppressor. (Psalms 72:4)
Like many of you I spent the past few
weeks of December reading story after story of the tragedy at Sandy Hook
Elementary. As a father I grieve the loss
that the families are feeling. Like you
I have prayed for these families that the God of all comfort would do just
that, give them comfort. I have also
prayed for the churches in that area that the ministers and church members
would be there for these families in their time of need.
It has been uplifting to hear the
stories of some of the school leaders that were putting themselves between the
gunman and the children; accounts of adults that tried to calm children even in
the very last moments of life.
With all this seemingly senseless
violence what can we learn? What I come
away with is stern, it’s dark, but it’s the truth.
Satan wants our kids. He wants yours and he wants mine. He doesn’t want them to enjoy the life that
God has given them. He doesn’t want them
to experience this world that God created.
He doesn’t want them to have the chance to know about God’s love for
them. Satan just wants to take them. He has no love for us, God’s creation, so he
inflicts pain in unspeakable ways.
In the days ahead we’re going to hear
more about the life of the disturbed young man who committed this act. And more than likely we will learn little as
to why he did what he did. Psychiatrists,
psychologists and other experts will look for mental, physical and emotional
reasons for why this man turned out the way he did…but they will probably miss
the real reason. The reason is
spiritual. Satan found in this young man
a soul that was lost and vulnerable.
When he finds someone like this, he jumps them and uses them to take
others out.
1 Peter 5:8 says “Your enemy the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Satan is just like a lion in the
savannah, hiding in the brush and watching a heard of antelope to pinpoint the
weak adults or the young defenseless calves.
He is watching and waiting for the opportunity to pounce on his prey and
take them down.
So in a world like ours, with an
enemy like ours what do we do?
First, we have hope. Hope in the God of Creation. The hope in the future that He has provided
for us through His Son. Do a word search
on BibleGateway.com for “hope” then read what David had to say about it in the
Psalms.
Second, we can talk to our kids about spiritual matters. And, when they’re old enough to
understand God’s plan of salvation we can pray with them to receive Jesus into
their lives. As they grow, we can make
sure they see us, as parents, worshipping God, praying, reading the Bible and
giving of our time and money to the work of the church. When they see our faith in action…when they
see a faith that is real in our daily lives…they will want to emulate it.
Scripture to Claim:
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)(NLT)
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)(NLT)
Submitted By Brian McKay
