Tragedy Strikes…Again!
My heart is saddened by the news pouring out of Blacksburg, Virginia, where it is reported that at least 33 people are dead in the nation’s deadliest shooting. I know your hearts are sad as well.
What can be said?
Sure, we could say something about this tragedy is the result of the moral decline of our day, and how this is just another gauge of our depravity.
Or, we could talk about this being nothing more than the natural result of the culture of death in which we live.
Of course, the media is already quick to blame the President and Campus Police of Virginia Tech University for not acting quickly enough to prevent other deaths.
Instead of writing about those elements of the story, I think I will dwell for a just a line or two on the parents of the students who were murdered.
Can any of us imagine the heartache they feel? Of course we cannot. Would any of us know what to say to these grief-stricken people? No. The lives of these families are forever altered by the senseless act of a sick gunman.
We do not yet know the identification of those murdered. Were they upper classmen? Were any of them freshman? Were any married? Where is home? What was their major? What were their future plans? How did they defend themselves? What part of their story must be told? How will they be remembered? Who did they leave behind?
That, to me, is the worst part of this entire tragedy—the useless and unnecessary loss of human life.
As useless and as tragic as this sounds why didn’t the gunman just take his own life instead? Why did he have to go on a rampage and kill so many innocent people? These and so many more are unanswerable questions, aren’t they?
What kind of solace can we find in times like these?
This morning I spent a few extra minutes in my Bible study time, and I am so glad I did. Today many of you will be reading in 1 Samuel as we continue to plod through the Bible.
Sure, we could say something about this tragedy is the result of the moral decline of our day, and how this is just another gauge of our depravity.
Or, we could talk about this being nothing more than the natural result of the culture of death in which we live.
Of course, the media is already quick to blame the President and Campus Police of Virginia Tech University for not acting quickly enough to prevent other deaths.
Instead of writing about those elements of the story, I think I will dwell for a just a line or two on the parents of the students who were murdered.
Can any of us imagine the heartache they feel? Of course we cannot. Would any of us know what to say to these grief-stricken people? No. The lives of these families are forever altered by the senseless act of a sick gunman.
We do not yet know the identification of those murdered. Were they upper classmen? Were any of them freshman? Were any married? Where is home? What was their major? What were their future plans? How did they defend themselves? What part of their story must be told? How will they be remembered? Who did they leave behind?
That, to me, is the worst part of this entire tragedy—the useless and unnecessary loss of human life.
As useless and as tragic as this sounds why didn’t the gunman just take his own life instead? Why did he have to go on a rampage and kill so many innocent people? These and so many more are unanswerable questions, aren’t they?
What kind of solace can we find in times like these?
This morning I spent a few extra minutes in my Bible study time, and I am so glad I did. Today many of you will be reading in 1 Samuel as we continue to plod through the Bible.
In the last few chapters of 1 Samuel we read about David fleeing from King Saul’s murderous threats. David flees so far, that he joins forces with Israel’s number one nemesis, the Philistines. Before going to battle against Israel, the commanders convince Achish, the leader of the Philistine army to preclude David and his men from fighting with them for fear that he might turn against them in the battle. So, David and his fighting men are commanded to remain behind the battle lines. The Philistines route the Israelites, and when they do they also ravage David’s hometown of Ziklag. When David and his men return home they find their town has been burned to the ground and their families are missing.
The Bible records:
And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters.
What the Bible records next is certainly significant:
But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
1 Samuel 30:6
Please do not overlook that sentence. That is a small yet meaningful statement. What David did is what the parents of the Virginia Tech students must do. If any of these parents are believers—and I pray they are—they must find strength in the Lord. If they are not believers—and I am sure some are not—we must pray they turn to the Lord in the midst of this tragedy.
There are times in life when only the Lord can sustain you. This is one of those times for these poor families. There are times when we have no explanation. When those times come we must trust in the Lord. Additionally, we must let Him be our strength. In the midst of unexplained heartache, David strengthened himself in the Lord. Today and tomorrow and the next, these Virginia Tech families must find strength in the Lord. I know this must sound cliché, but it is in situations like these only the Lord can keep us going.
So today I conclude my blog by reminding all of us to pray for the families of those who were brutally murdered. Christ died for each one of these people. And, we must pray for the family of the man who committed this unspeakable and heinous crime, for Christ died for them as well. And, they too, are grieving beyond measure.
So today I conclude my blog by reminding all of us to pray for the families of those who were brutally murdered. Christ died for each one of these people. And, we must pray for the family of the man who committed this unspeakable and heinous crime, for Christ died for them as well. And, they too, are grieving beyond measure.
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