Gunman
When we hear of violence and hatefulness we ask why God doesn't do something.
Hear my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my petition. Listen to me and answer me; I have no peace, because of my cares. I am shaken by the noise of the enemy and by the pressure of the wicked; For they have cast an evil spell upon me and are set against me in fury. My heart quakes within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling have come over me, and horror overwhelms me.And I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee to a far-off place and make my lodging in the wilderness. I would hasten to escape from the stormy wind and tempest. Swallow them up, O Lord; confound their speech; for I have seen violence and strife in the city.- Psalm 55:1-10
The Psalmist cries out for God to hear him, because he isn't really sure God will listen and answer his plea for help.
Hearing of the murders in New Zealand, many may feel the same way, that God isn't listening. If you are not safe while praying, where are you safe?
What we ask is if God won't protect you in His house of worship. where will He protect you?
Clearly, there is no way to avoid evil in this world. It exists in the hearts of those who don't listen to God. The fact that God cannot stop them tells us something about our relationship with God, with one another, and our responsibility for our own actions.
The one who does evil is the one responsible for his actions, not God, not us, no one else. We are all independent thinkers, and our decisions are solely ours.
There are a lot of people who cannot accept that. They want to find someone else to blame. Or like the Psalmist, they want someone, anyone to stop them, to take away their power.
Jesus came to cast out demons and call the lost home, but he didn't get to everyone. That's our job.
Can we do it? Do we even want to?
I don't know if the gunman was reachable by anyone, but there are many troubled souls that are. And we never hear about the ones saved from doing something horrible. We only hear about the ones no one can reach.
That doesn't mean God isn't listening. He is whispering in all our ears to get us to spread the word about his love. Those we reach who listen are turned away from evil.
Those we don't are lost. And some take others with them.
We shouldn't stop trying though. It is our charge to do so.
More to come...