When Tragedy Comes to the People of God

Horrible tragedy struck Nashville, TN on Monday morning around 10 am. Many news sources have reported the tragedy which involved the senseless murder of 3 nine-year-olds, 3 adult staff and volunteers, and the death of the gunman, who formerly attended the school.

The school is a Christian school, with about 200 students, housed in a PCA church in Nashville. The school is K-6th grade. The school is distinctly Christian and unashamedly so. What a tragedy to prey upon those who seek to do so much good in the world.

What can we do as Christians?

1) Weep.

We should weep in the wake of this tragedy. The loss of any life is horrible, but especially these 9-year-olds. This was horrific. We should cry. None of us are promised tomorrow, and a tragedy like this one hits all of us close to home. We should weep.

2) Pray.

We should pray for the families of those who lost loved ones, the school administration that will have to move forward, and the parents who will send their kids to school another day. Pray for pastor Chad Scruggs, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Green Hills. Scruggs’ daughter was one of the individuals who was murdered on Monday.

Pray for the gospel to be clearly proclaimed and presented in the coming days, that those who are far from Christ might come near to him. Pray that those who are left would be comforted by the ministry and presence of the Holy Spirit. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ now experiencing the most severe kind of suffering imaginable in our short life on earth.

And yet, we don’t know how to pray. There is no good advice to give to someone suffering from loss in this way. In these cases, our prayers to God may be more like groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26). We praise God that our Mediator, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit intercede for us when we do not know how to pray or what to pray. But in the wake of a tragedy, we should pray.

3) Repent.

Tragedies should lead us to renewed repentance. When Jonah prophesied a certain tragedy to the wicked city of Ninevah, the whole city repented. When John the Baptist began his ministry, he called for sinners to repent for the wrath of God was coming.

Consider what Jesus says whenever he is asked a difficult question. Consider Luke 13:1–5 (ESV)

13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

These are hard words to consider. You’ll notice, Jesus does not really answer the questions directly. He does not tell us why tragedies happen. Rather, he tells us that tragedies are common to all sinners.

There is not a single human being who is without sin. All of us are sinners. And so Jesus tells us to repent of our sin, lest we perish.

But don’t miss out on what else this means. Jesus says if you don’t repent you will perish. But what about when you do repent? To say it Scripturally, “you will not perish, but have eternal life.”

Repentance is not a work of the flesh, but a work wrought by the Spirit of God. Repentance does not merit salvation, Christ does. But the work of the Spirit of the heart of a human being always brings about repentance. We should be drawn to repent of our sins today. The Puritans often spoke of living each day as if it were the day of their death. Because of this, they lived lives wholly devoted to the things of God. Oh that we would learn to live rightly before the Lord as well. Repentance is an invitation into the mercy of God, a balm for the soul each of us need.

Is there sin you should repent of? May the tragedy we see in our world lead you to do just that.

Lastly,

4) Long.

We should long for the return of Christ.

Revelation 22:20 (ESV)
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

We should long for the day when the Lord Jesus brings home all his children to a place where there is no more suffering, pain, or sin. I am reminded of the words we sing in the song, “Come Thou Fount”

The last stanza reads:

Oh that day when freed from sinning
I shall see Thy lovely face
Full arrayed in blood-washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry
Bring Thy promises to pass
For I know Thy pow’r will keep me
Till I’m home with Thee at last

Come, Lord Jesus.