03.23.05

Monday (03.21.05), in Red Lake, Minnesota there was another school shooting killing one teacher, a school security guard, five students and wounding 7 others before the gunman took his own life. Before arriving at the school Jeff Wiese also apparently killed his grandfather and his grandfather‘s companion.

This week I will be resending devotionals written in response to previous school shootings and similar tragedies. The devotional today was written after the Columbine school tragedy. (Numbers and other information have been updated from yesterday.)

We Need God
(Originally Sent 5-21-99)

But I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy. - Psalm 59:16-17.

David knew well his God. David had been so low that at times he hid out in caves while Saul hunted everywhere seeking to kill him. While the enemy raged God was the only defense and refuge David had. God’s defense and refuge never failed David.

We continue to live in troubled times with another school shooting in Conyers, Georgia near Atlanta. There have been almost countless daily bomb threats at the schools across the United States. Just within driving distance of where I live I have heard of several. How troubling for parents and children who continue to attend school during the rest of this school year. But then, what we face here is small in the face of a constant barrage of bombing in Serbia. Think how difficult for the families who have fled from Kosovo. Many still living in tents under difficult conditions. We live in uncertain times, however, our God has not changed and if we look to Him we will still find our defense and refuge. It can be found nowhere else.

We also live in a time of great temptation. Just this week the Dean of the Harvard Divinity School has been terminated from his position. He was terminated because pornography was found on his computer. How terrible. But then we would be surprised at how far spread and pervasive pornography has become in our society. David knew something of this temptation. He committed adultery, even murder as a result of succumbing to the temptation he encountered. The effects of David’s sins on his family and nation were devastating. In the face of moral self-destruction David found God to be his defense and refuge. David found mercy when he turned to God.

We may need new laws but we need God more. We may need armed guards, we may need new policies on clothing for school children, we may need metal detectors, but we need God much more.

We pray and need world peace but we need God more. We may need a new world order; we do need ethnic harmony; we need protection from nuclear proliferation, chemical, and biological weapons; we need a relief from human suffering we see all around; but we need God much more.

We need some control on the evil we see on the internet. We need to stop the access to bomb making sites. We need to put pornographers out of business. We need to stop the hate. But we still need God much, much more.

If we would turn to God we would as David, experience God’s mercy. If we would turn to God we too could sing of God’s refuge and defense. If this world would turn to God we would have a new world order where peace abounds and love overcomes. If only we would turn to God.