It begins with a humble heart
It is hard to pray out of a spirit of humbleness when our hearts are full of anger, bitterness, and rage. It’s hard to pray for healing when we are bent on seeking vengeance. James wrote, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up (James 4:8-10). In this moment, those of us who call ourselves Christians, must seek to draw closer to the Lord.
We must also get rid of the anger and bitterness in our hearts – we can’t demand a retribution of violence for violence, a retribution of death for death. That punishment is for the courts to decide. It is our place to pray for forgiveness of our own shortcomings and to be able to forgive those who have committed these acts of violence. We must not give into the desire for vengeance. We must turn towards the Lord and seek His face and allow Him to heal our nation.
And it begins with me.
We cannot expect our society to improve if we are not willing to allow the Lord to work within our hearts first. On the campus where I work, I heard many viewpoints of who and what should be blamed. Some wanted to blame parents and others wanted to blame society. For others, it was the entertainment industry and still some wanted to ban guns. They were missing where such evil resides: the human heart. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). When we deny this we become part of the problem.
Understanding our own place
All through the gospels the message of Jesus is clear – we are drawn to darkness. One of the philosophical debates is if man is naturally good or naturally evil. Man without God is drawn towards evil. But let us not be fooled, even people who clam Jesus as their Lord and Savior can still do evil deeds if they are not firmly rooted in Christ. Only through purposeful living do we keep our sin nature under some control.
This is why if we want to see change in our families, our communities, and nation, it must begin in our own hearts. We must look at ourselves daily. If we are to prevent future tragedies, then we must be willing to reach out to those who are suffering. We must be willing to lend a hand, to share the gospel, and to live out the example set before us. We cannot expect laws, our government officials, or even new programs to make the difference. The only one who can make a difference is Jesus.
