Good morning,
Was He there - Does He care?
Where was God when the shooting started? The Biblical answer is that he was there the whole time. He had given his faithful angels orders about who they were to protect and who they were to prepare for transition to eternity. He had also given the evil angels their limits on how much damage was allowed for those in the line of fire. When Job was allowed to be tested by Satan, God set the limits for the test. Satan said, But take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!”(Job2:5) And God answered him, “All right, do with him as you please,” the LORD said to Satan. “But spare his life.”(v.6) Why some were spared and some were taken is not for us to know, but we do know that even this was a part of God’s plan for that day and time for all those involved. The psalmist tells us, You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.(Psalms139:16) There is no way we can understand all that God was doing, but we can be sure that God doesn’t feel ashamed of himself or feel that he has to give us the reasoning behind his plan. In fact David goes on to tell us, How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!(vs.17,18) Our Enemy does his best to keep us from knowing and believing that the God who gives us life is involved in our conception, our birth, our length of life, to the second, and finally to the place we will enter once we are in eternity.
What we do know is that God cared about each of the people involved. He also cares about all the family members and friends that were left behind. The Lord is willing to be a shelter for those who will turn to him as they face the struggles that follow these wicked acts. God knows about all the individuals all over the world that have been impacted by this act of cruelty and is offering to be their shelter in the face of the blast of fear that this has created. God has promised that he would never abandon anyone who is willing to turn to him in the face of their pain and confusion. Where is God now that the shooting is over? He is with us offering to comfort and guide each one of us as we rely on his judgment and not our own.
Psalms 139:16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
Roy Wisner
