Where Was God in the Minneapolis Shooting, and Do Our Prayers Matter?
Psalm 46:1–3 (NLT)
1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. 2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
The death and wounding of children in Minneapolis was an evil act against innocence. While children, teachers, and worshippers were praying to the Almighty God, wickedness took aim and murdered. How are we to make sense of such darkness?
From Genesis to Revelation, evil is seen as an active force against God’s rule and reign. Evil was allowed by God to be introduced into His creation by His highest angel, Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:12-19).* The serpent (Satan) is the one who tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, convincing Eve that God was not telling her the full truth…which was a lie (Genesis 3:1-7; cf. John 8:44). God, who knew all of this would happen, allowed it to demonstrate His redemptive love of humans through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God designed the free will of His creation to show His love (Romans 5:8).
God gave humanity the ability to choose between good and evil, so we could respond to Him in love through trusting obedience. Had God created a world where He stopped all evil would mean He would prevent you from lying, cursing, lusting, cheating, coveting, being greedy, selfish, and anything that violates His standard of perfection (Romans 3:23). In other words, we would become fully controlled beings with no ability to choose anything but what God desires. This would remove our ability to choose love; we would be effectively God’s robots.
Instead, God created a real world where real choices have both direct and indirect consequences, as well as good and bad outcomes. One day, God will set everything right in the world (Isaiah 65:17; Romans 8:15-28; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:4-5).
The killing of two innocent children and the wounding of many others in Minneapolis was appalling and was caused by evil. The greatest evil can arguably be the death of Jesus on the cross when He was perfectly innocent of any sin (1 Peter 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15). Jesus prayed, asking that He would not have to go through the torment of crucifixion (Matthew 26:39), yet endured the cross and despised the shame (Hebrews 12:1-2). Satan wanted Jesus to die (Luke 22:3-6; John 8:44), but Jesus’ death and resurrection were a defeat for Satan (Colossians 2:14-15; Hebrews 2:14-15). The evil that Jesus endured set an example for us to follow (Hebrews 12:3). Evil will persist in the world (2 Timothy 3:13) until Jesus returns in HIs glory (Revelation 19:11, 19-21). We should remember that Jesus has secured victory over death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Memento mori is the ancient Latin phrase for “Everyone must die”.
You may have heard several politicians and TV commentators decry the offering of prayer in the midst of this tragedy in Minneapolis. How should we respond to this assault on prayers? We should respond with trust in the God who allows free will when faced with evil (Psalm 46:1-3). While we wait for Jesus’ victorious return, wickedness will remain as part of God’s plan, even if we can’t make human sense of it all. “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Those who choose to decry prayers and trust in an Almighty God will eventually meet their doom (Psalm 27:13; Galatians 6:7).
While we are not able to fully understand the “why” of many things as we live on this earth (Isaiah 55:8-9), we can know that God is full of love (1 John 4:8-9), allows for our free will, tolerates evil, and is a God of justice (Isaiah 30:18). Have faith in God and practice love, perseverance, forgiveness, and grace in the midst of evil tragedies, both human and natural (Psalm 9:10, 20:7).
Footnote on Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 as symbolic prophetic oracles:
• While the immediate context of Isaiah 14 is speaking of the King of Babylon, and Ezekiel 28 is speaking about the King of Tyre, there is both a near (context) and far (inference) interpretation. For example, in Ezekiel 28:13, it is stated that this being was in “Eden, the Garden of God”; according to the scriptural record, only God, Adam, Eve, Satan, and the two Cherubim placed there to guard it were ever in Eden. Certainly, the King of Tyre was not found in the Garden of Eden. In Ezekiel 28:14, this being is referred to as a cherub. There is no Scripture where humans are referred to as cherubs. In Ezekiel 28:15, the being is described as perfect in all his ways, until wickedness was found in him. This means that this being was created (not born) perfect, and remained so until he sinned. This statement could only apply to Adam, Eve, Satan, or demons, not to any earthly king. The king of Tyre was “shaped in iniquity and conceived in sin,” just like all other humans (Psalm 51). In Isaiah 14:12, “fell from heaven” and is called, “star of the morning, son of God.” No human has fallen from heaven. Twice we read that Satan was thrown out of heaven (Luke 10:18; Revelation 12:9). Satan is described as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). It is my understanding that these two passages refer to both historic characters (Kings of Tyre and Babylon), and symbolic prophetic oracles of the fall of Satan from heaven in his rebellion.