A mall shooting in Oregon leaves 3 dead and then a school shooting in Connecticut leaves over 20 dead, most of them just young children. Where was God? Why did He allow these things to happen?
I saw a question that asked, “Why didn’t God stop this?” and the answer given was “Oh, right, He couldn’t – our schools kicked Him out many years ago!” That is exactly the point. America has turned it’s heart way against God in the past decade. Oh, our currency still says “In God We Trust”, yet there are even those who have tried to have that removed. We’ve taken the ten commandments out of our courtrooms and schools, we’ve outlawed prayer at schools and many public events, and people have basically claimed they don’t want or need God.
Well, the Bible tells us that God doesn’t dwell where there is darkness. And since God is LIGHT – without Him, all there is, is darkness! When people claim they don’t want or need God anymore, He doesn’t force them to turn to Him. He simply says, “Okay, you don’t want or need my protection, my companionship, my care, my love? You think you can just make it fine without me? If that’s what you want, I’ll let you have that.”
The Bible also says, “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (John 3:19).
In Matthew 23:37, Jesus wept over Jerusalem’s rejection of God, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Jerusalem had rejected God as well. They had rejected the word of the prophets, they had stoned and killed those who came to share God’s amazing love. Jesus says, “how often I would have protected you against the harm that has come your way, against the problems, against the turmoil, but you didn’t want me to.” And, America is in that same position today.
But, we argue, “What about those poor little kids? They didn’t do anything wrong?”. And “I’m sure some of them may have known Jesus as their Savior.” And that is part of the curse of sin on this world. We suffer in a lost world, even as Christians. Yet, that should just give us more reason to spread the Gospel and tell others about the love of Jesus Christ. Many families are broken-hearted today, and without Jesus Christ as their Heavenly Father, they have no one to comfort and give them peace even during this difficult time.
Even many people who claim to be “Christians” have rejected God’s Word and His teachings. We CANNOT make it without Him, we can never find our way in this darkness. We NEED God!
America needs God. Our schools need God. Our families need God. He ALONE is light. Without Him there is darkness! We’re seeing what the darkness does.
John 1:1-11 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”
When we reject God, we reap the results. Psalm 9:17 warns us, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.” America has not only “forgotten” God, she has “rejected” God.
God still offers, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16,17)