Dear Father,
So, there was a shooting yesterday and one today in two different cities. People will talk about a lot of possible causes. They will blame videogames and talk about gun control. Okay, some videogames are pretty violent. Warframe is pretty violent, but let me tell you something weird that happened tonight. I had played Warframe off and on since I got off work. I was doing an extermination mission, which is basically going through a map and clearing it of enemies. And.. I was shooting mutant clones… and.. I started feeling sorry for them. I had empathy for a 3d model. So, I took a break from the game. And.. I may not go back.
I’ve never liked Call of Duty, or any games where humans shoot humans. Aliens, monsters, zombies, fine. Humans? Not so much. Videogames do have an affect on your brain, even if it’s just the light patterns. There is probably a lot of research that doesn’t come to light because of the wealth and influence of gaming companies. Gaming is a big industry, and it seems like everyone has something sweet to sell at the bake sale (terrible analogy, but I was avoiding the ‘hand in the cookie jar’ cliché).
So, gun control. People always talk about restricting guns in times like this. However, criminals often have access to goods that normal people don’t. This includes weapons. So even if we take all the guns away from the law abiding citizens, the criminals will still have them. If say, three people in each of these incidents had a license to carry, might the situation be different? If they were trained to use a gun, were virtuous.. There have been stories of people who have stopped shooters because they had guns. These don't usually make the news, but they’re out there.
The problem isn’t that the perpetrator had a gun. It’s that he was the only one with a gun, and his intent was evil. He wouldn’t’ve walked into a police station and pulled out a gun. He’d be toast. He chose the victims because it was easy, he had the power, and he had the weapon, and the advantage over unarmed civilians.
Now, you will say,”Why did God allow this to happen?” Well, haven’t people turned away from Him? Haven’t we taken Him out of our schools, our homes, or businesses? And even if you were to accuse God, you can’t do anything to Him. You can’t prevent Him from doing whatever he likes. He’s sovereign. And for us to accuse God suggests that we are somehow His equals or superiors. That’s just not the case. God allows things to happen for His reasons, and His purposes.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isa 55:8-9
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+55&version=NIV
I love the book of Isaiah. It may not be my favorite right now, but it is beautiful.
So, blame whatever you like. If you are a believer, you need to be praying for the protection of your work place, everywhere you go, be it the mall, or Wal-Mart, or a football stadium to watch a game.
If you work retail, try praying,” for your customers, co-workers, and managers”
It would be great if you prayed nightly for the EMT’s, doctors, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, your neighborhood. This is not logical, nor is it good speculation. Were there people praying for the safety of those places yesterday and today? I don’t know. Would it have made a difference? I don’t know. But I know we are called to intercede for all men, and as the world gets darker, it will need our prayers more than ever. We need to be more vigilant, not more complacent, more diligent, not more lax.
The church in Thessalonica thought Jesus would come back in their lifetimes. He may very well come back in ours. Instead of thinking that the longer he waits means he’s not coming, we should be thinking that the probability of his return is getting higher, knowing that he will come at some point in the future. He is not extending his return forever. At just the right time, he will come for the saints, and then, the judgment on the world and those who are not His will begin. He will completely save Israel from the hand of Satan, the beast, and the false prophet. And he will judge those who do not know Him. The bible isn’t a book of fables, metaphors, and ancient wisdom. It has more legal historical evidence than any other sacred text, any other ancient text, and its the only book I know that self-references.