I’ve lost count of the tragedies. Arizona. Sandy Hook. Boston. Colorado (Twice). Virginia. Jonesboro. Cleveland. I can’t even remember them all. Rape. Murder. Suicide. Six separate random mass shootings in 2012 alone, by my calculations. And then I saw this today:
Police: Oklahoma teens kill Australian baseball player -- just because
I think I’m going to be physically sick. But why am I so shocked? We've asked for this in our post-modern culture. When we choose to be godless, why should we be surprised that ungodliness follows? If we no longer “see fit to acknowledge God,” why should we be shocked when ceasing to acknowledge one another comes next? When we have no respect for the Creator of human life, why should we respect the creation?
The unthinkable has happened, again and again, because we refuse to critically think about a worldview that makes sense. We are simply reaping what we have systematically sown. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because there are no good people. We are born fallen, evil, sinful, and deserving of death, had it not been for God. Because asking why bad things happen is the wrong question. How about defining what "bad" or "wrong" means to begin with? Under the guise of secular humanism we have no idea what moral absolutes are. We have no idea why we are here. We can't categorically explain to you why murder is wrong. And please don’t ask us… “Whatever you believe is true for you, and let’s leave it at that.”
Why did this happen? It’s called SIN and it’s endemic to the human heart. And nobody wants to talk about it. We have made it taboo as a culture to talk about sin, death, judgment, eternity etc. “Stand before a Holy God to be judged someday? You are so judgmental!”
As Mike Huckabee has now said after two repeat tragedies, “Ultimately, we don't have a crime problem or a gun problem or even a violence problem. What we have is a sin problem.”
How much longer are we going to let this go on, before we realize that passing laws isn't the answer? Pass as many laws as you want, but unless you change peoples’ hearts, we will never win this battle against evil. This is a heart issue. The true heart of humanity is sinful: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9)
I guess it sucks to be us. Or as someone else once said. “Woe is me.” (You might have heard that one, but you weren’t listening cause it’s from that “outdated” book that those crazy religious fanatics read.)
Just like God warned Cain so many years ago, “Sin is crouching at your door.” How desperately our world needs to hear that same message today and repent. How desperately we need to "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Would you like random acts of senseless violence to stop? Start living your life the way God designed it. Start thinking about a worldview that adds up. Follow what the Bible says is the path to righteousness.
The only answer is the Gospel.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chron 7:14
I don't know about you, but I'm praying this verse tonight for our families, for our churches, for our nations, and I hope you will join me.
Amen sister. I will keep that verse in my prayers over the next few weeks.