Satan is active in the world. Scripture points out that even thousands of years ago he was a prowling lion looking for someone to devour. And he has not weakened or wavered ever since. Yesterday in Texas was an act of evil.
I am not a very emotional person, but I get a nauseous feeling thinking about the families that spent last night without their children or loved ones. Their pain is palpable even from hundreds of miles away. Hearts have been broken. Spirits have been crushed. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). God is with the community of Uvalde. But where was God yesterday?
God didn’t make this happen. But the question on a lot of people’s minds is “Why didn’t God stop this?” or “Why did God allow this?” Certainly He could have stopped it. There could have been some miraculous intervention that kept the gunman from reaching the school, right? So why doesn’t God stop evil from happening?
That’s because evil is a choice that we make (Deut 30:15). In order to have freedom, we have to be free to do the wrong thing. We have to be able to choose to deviate from God’s will. If we couldn’t choose to do evil, nor could we choose to love. Or choose to do anything for that matter. All of our thoughts and actions would be meticulously micromanaged. We would be no more than computers or robots. The evil that took place yesterday originated with Satan, and was manifested by a man’s choice. God is not powerless, but He is loving. And because of His great love, He allows us to make and act on our choices.
God does not leave us to deal with hardships by ourselves, however. Through the pain and tragedy that the freedom to do evil causes, God offers Himself as a source of comfort and healing (Matt 11:28). If I can feel their pain even though I am far away and limited by my humanness, how much more does God feel their pain, being right next to them and limitless in His understanding? Jesus wept with those who mourned for Lazarus. How much more is he weeping with Uvalde? How much more is He embracing those who have been hurt?
God never promised that life would be easy or pain-free. On the contrary, He says that “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). Evil exists in the world and will continue until Judgment Day. So how do we combat evil? “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Now is the time more than ever to show God’s love and compassion and grace and mercy. Now is the time to pray longer, harder, and more fervently than ever. Now is the time to morn with those who morn. Now is the time to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding.
The presence of evil does not mean that God is weak or unloving. It means that God loved us enough to let us make our own choices and He is strong enough to stand beside us as we endure the consequences of a sinful world. Our God is powerful, even if we don’t understand. Please spend time today in prayer for the families of the victims and for those who have been injured and traumatized.