Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Tragedy in Sandy Hook


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)

Submitted By Brian McKay

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