After Darkness, Light
It’s taken me a while to process what’s happened in Uvalde, Texas. When the tragedy at Sandy Hook happened ten years, the nation was in a similar uproar, understandably so. But when horror hits afresh, and on the heels of two other shootings, we feel the unbearable weight of evil once more. So, how should we think during a time like this?
Here are some thoughts to guide us.
If God is not infinitely sovereign, wise, and good, we are left not only with tons of unanswerable questions about evil, but with no real “God” at all. We are left utterly hopeless. But God does exist (Heb 11:6); He is in full control (Isa 46:10); He knows exactly what He’s doing (Rom 8:28); and He is love (1 Jn 4:8). None of that will change. All of it must be embraced by faith for you to experience peace and joy in this sin-shattered world.
Evil has been in our world since Gen 3. Sorrow and outrage over this shooting indicate that we know good and evil when we see it (Rom 2:14-16). And we know good and evil because we’re made in God’s image (Gen 1:26-27). That’s also why we are so crushed by the death of human beings, let alone little children.
The first murder was a brother killing his own brother (Gen 4:8). From that point on, the world became full of pride and murderous vengeance (Gen 4:23-24). It got so ugly that God had to wipe everyone out except nine people (Gen 6:5). Yet even after the flood, evil continued…and it has continued to this day. Just read through the Old Testament or any history book. The only thing that has improved is our ability to commit atrocity with greater ease through better technology.
God is not the author of sin; He is absolutely holy (Exo 15:11; Psa 77:3). When the first humans sinned, they brought sin into the hardwiring of humanity and with it, death into creation (Rom 5:12-13).
When evil occurs, no matter what is going on inside or outside the person who committed it, he is guilty of sin (Jas 1:13-15). No one causes us to sin. Certain factors may tend to aggravate it, but those factors serve as the occasion for us to display the wickedness in our hearts (Mark 7:21-23). They don’t create that wickedness.
If we can question God when tragedy occurs, we also have to admit that a God so big to blame must also be so big that He has reasons for tragedy that elude our finite minds (Isa 40:13-14; 1 Cor 2:16).
There is no one answer to evil and suffering that will satisfy everyone. We don’t know how God decrees and uses these to work out for His children (Rom 8:28-29). But we know why He does: it’s for our highest good and for His greatest glory. Who else but God can produce a weight of glory far beyond all comparison for us through our afflictions (2 Cor 4:17)?
What is the cost of 21 lives? Is it the murderer’s one life? Every sin incurs a debt with the holy God who made us and whose world we live in. So, this man not only lost his earthly life, but he will perish forever in conscious torment in hell as he faces the holy wrath of God.
God did not stay aloof from evil and suffering. He spoke into it by sending the Word – the Word (God’s Son) became flesh and dwelt among us. And He suffered unimaginable sufferings…all the way to the cross…where He stood condemned, as if He were the Sinner and bore the full fury of God’s righteous wrath for all our sins against Him. The Bible says this is love (1 Jn 4:8-10; Rom 5:8; Gal 2:20). And whoever believes in this Word will not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16).
Though we must denounce evil and sympathize with those who mourn, it’s just as necessary to admit that as believers we’re not better than anyone else. The gospel proves this. We’re not justified by our righteousness, and we’re not sanctified by it either. We are justified and sanctified by grace alone in Christ alone. And we are far worse than we dare imagine (Rom 7:14-25). Yet we are not left alone. By His Spirit, God is transforming us to be more like Christ (Rom 8:29). We have an unshakeable hope in Him.
We may think we’d be better off if God had not ordained evil and suffering. But in God’s sovereign wisdom, evil came in, and suffering with it…but Jesus entered too. And it’s because He did and died for our evils that we now know and will know more fully the riches of God’s love and mercy toward us. It’s against the backdrop of such darkness that we can appreciate the splendor of such Light.
So, pray that Christ would fill the hearts of believers in Uvalde with great comfort and strength to endure this tragedy.
And pray that they would beam with such peace and joy that those around them would ask, “What is the reason for this hope within you?”