The internet is full of voices speaking about the horrific tragedy in Connecticut last week Friday, and today I will add mine to the choir. I have seen every kind of comment and opinion on the reason the young man senselessly murdered the classrooms full of little children, and the numerous psychologists who have been trotted out to give their "expert" opinions on his mental state and state of mind prior to the shooting.
Added to the chorus we have the pro-gun and anti-gun people, both who are convinced their position is the right one. While there are crimes committed with guns, guns are not "the problem." On Saturday, The Resurgence.com posted the following statistics on their website that support my claim:
- Also on Friday, a knife-wielding man injured 22 children aged 6 to 11 and one adult at a primary school in central China.
- Studies suggest that up to 10 million children in the U.S. witness some form of domestic violence annually and approximately half of them are also victims of domestic violence.
What I will add to that discussion is this: The first homicide on earth took place by hand. Cain did not need anything more than his hands and a rock. Sticks and stones, belts and fists, drugs and alcohol all are used in the commission of crimes by children and against children every single day. If we are going to say an object is the problem, then our world will quickly become very small.
- Almost half of all sexual abuse victims are children: 15 percent of sexual assault victims are under age twelve, and 29 percent are ages twelve to seventeen.
- Children are also the victims of sex trafficking at horrific rates: In the U.S., the average age of entry into prostitution is between 12 and 14 years old. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that over 300,000 American children are at risk for sexual exploitation, and that an estimated 199,000 incidents of sexual exploitation of minors occur every year within the United States.
- The global market of child trafficking is over $12 billion a year, with over 1.2 million child victims. Child trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world.
- From 600,000–800,000 people are bought and sold across international borders each year; 50% are children, most are female. The majority of these victims are forced into the commercial sex trade.
- Today, as many as 300,000 children, some as young as eight years old, serve in armed government or rebel forces around the world.
And, as long as we are so incensed by the murder of innocent children, Americans had better wake up and realize that since as many as one out of three American women will have at least one abortion, there is wholesale slaughter taking place every single day not only in America, but all around the world. Where are the calls to outlaw abortion? Where are the calls to outlaw pornography which drives so much of the sex crime against children? Where are the calls to outlaw the internet over which aspects of these crimes take place? (Do you see a little conflict here?)
When will you realize that it not the object that commits a crime, but it is the wickedness in the heart of man that brings such actions (Jeremiah 17:9)? Like every other sinful act, what happened in Connecticut was the revelation of the wickedness contained within (Mark 7:21-23). Until the heart of man is changed by the God our world is so determined to declare does not exist, evil will continue to flourish on every level.
When such unspeakable tragedies occur, society inevitably asks, "Where is God?" Those who don't believe in God say such actions prove God does not exist, or if He does, He is certainly impotent or uncaring to allow this to happen. Other's who believe in God refuse to believe He knew of this before time began, and He certainly would not have ordained this to happen! They refuse to believe a loving God had any part in this, as though it was as much of a surprise to Him as it was to us on Friday. Friends, none of this was a surprise to God and while He does not condone sin He does allow it and more than that; He intends to use it. He will use it for our good and His glory.
As difficult as it is to believe and accept, God is using this tragedy to show us that He is giving us Americans exactly what we have asked for. We asked God to leave us alone, to get out of our schools and courtrooms. We told Him we didn't need His 10 Commandments or Bible, we have rejected His morals and values and have been living according to our own lofty wisdom. I am thankful that despite our collective foolishness, God continues to restrain such evil from having its way on earth.
Were God to remove His hand, what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary would be only a fraction of the carnage that would be unleashed in our schools and on our streets. Literally, no one would be safe. Right now, the hardened heart of the country is temporarily softened. People have flocked to their churches and other houses of worship in droves seeking comfort. By His grace, perhaps more people will realize that the only hope for America is Jesus. Perhaps some semblance of humility will begin to take root and we will begin to see the need for God in our nation again.
Where was God last Friday? On His throne weeping with those who weep, grieved at the sin of mankind.
My heart breaks for those who have endured unspeakable loss. May God comfort you as only He can.