9-22am
We have watched in horror the events that have unfolded over the last 12 hours at the little Connecticut town of Newtown. How can this happen? How could someone do this? What should our response be? Too many unanswered questions. What is so shocking is what you find when you dig a little deeper. With the internet, it’s easy to find out about school shootings. They are well documented, not only from those in the United States but across the world and from as far back as 1700s.
A notorious American killer prior to the Columbine killers was Kip Kinkel who killed both his parents and then went on a shooting spree at his local school. He is now in jail for life. That was 1998. A year later came the Columbine shootings. In a documentary about teenage killers, this was said:
“A good predictor of dangerousness in children is the combination of a certain temperament with a chaotic environment”. (Source: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/weird/kids1/kinkel_2.html)
The Bible has a lot to say about the evil of man:
Ecclesiastes 9:3 The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.
Jeremiah 17:9 Because the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
We know that God will have the final say.
Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
And for those who have lost loved ones, there are few words of comfort at this time. The only thing that comes to my mind is that it is not about here and now. A time will come when parents will be reunited with their children. We focus, not on this life, but on the one to come.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Better times will come.
Isaiah 58:8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
A prayer I found online…if you would care to pray…
“Most merciful God, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding, please be with this broken community in their grief. Surround them in your love, that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss, but have confidence in your goodness, and strength to meet the days to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
In His Grip,
Helga