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Peace for Virginia Tech :: Deeper Devotion
Peace for Virginia Tech
By Glenn Ansley,
April 17, 2007
My heart is broken as I read the news about what happened yesterday at Virginia Tech. So many questions remain to be answered. The hardest of those will be our attempts to understand why something like this has happened, why there is so much violence in the world and why we invoke such pain and suffering on our brothers and sisters? I ask myself, is there any hope for peace in a world as chaotic as ours?
As I sit quietly, attempting to answer these questions for myself, I am reminded of Easter Sunday, two weeks ago. The answers to my questions are directly related to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead just as he promised, I can be confident that God will remain faithful to the following promises:
- Jesus promises you eternal peace in the midst of temporal pain (John 14:27)
- Jesus promises you eternal security in the midst of temporal fear (Romans 8:38-39)
- Jesus promises you eternal life in the mist of temporal death (John 10:27-28)
- Jesus promises to return for you. This is our greatest hope. (1 Thessalonians 2:19)
The tragedy that took place yesterday is not one that you or I should lightly dismiss. It is a demonstration of humanity’s great need for Jesus Christ. As children of God, it is our duty to pray for the families and friends of those that were wounded and killed yesterday. It is our duty to visit them in the hospital, to send them letters of encouragement, and to share the love of Jesus with them. It is our duty to minister to them in their pain. Your hope in Jesus does not grant you the privilege to ask God “why” today, but rather, it gives you the freedom to ask him for his peace to be extended to a nation in chaos (Philippians 4:7).
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April 18th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Is there any hope for peace in a world as chaotic as ours? You ask. If you read a bit about history, the short answer is definitvely “no”. But then, here is my question: “who do you refer to when you say “as ours”? Ours who? Brothers and Sisters who? Because what happened at Virgina Tech this week happens every day in troubled places such as Irak, Sudan, Somalia, Timor and many other regions of our little planet. Do you consider people over there as brothers and sisters? Humans? Is your heart broken every day you live?
Cheer up! Our world is no more chaotic than “theirs”! We live in a peaceful era!
Now, we do not need Jesus Christ or any other prophet. We need gun control, common sense, education and better sharing of wealth. While you are playing, you are not acting! So move your butt and do something to make America better… I mean, your world.
April 18th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Hi Patrick, thanks for your honest comment. Here are some observations and responses of my own.
I think we must first identify that you and I are operating out of two different world views. While the resurrection of Jesus is central to my answers, the denial of Jesus is central to yours. You should know that while I do not agree with your worldview, I do not think less of you or your opinions. I hope that you would offer me the same respect.
As far as your question as to who I am referring to when I say “our world,” I think your point is valid and one that needs to be addressed by more Christians. Too many of us live in a bubble, only coming out when somebody else bursts it. If we were to take the Scriptures we believe more seriously, there would be a greater emphasis on reaching out to those outside of our comfort zones. Indeed, our hearts should be broken every day that we live.
I have a question for you too though: You tell me definitively that there is no hope for peace in our world. Yet, you say we live in a peaceful era. Since I entitled this entry as “Peace” for Virgina Tech, I think it would be good for us to define peace. I have a feeling that this may lie at the center of our differences. How do you define peace?