WHY GOD?
(April 20, 1999)
On Tuesday April 20th 1999 at
11:19 am gunshots rang out in the halls of Columbine High school in Littleton,
Colorado, in what became one of the most heinous tragedies in U.S. history.
Little did we know that it was just the beginning of what now, just 15 short
years later, has become almost a routine daily event in our country!
Within 24 hours the above question had
probably been asked at least a billion times around the world. The next day, on
Wednesday evening in The Crossroads Church in Wheat ridge, Colorado where I had
been a member for about 10 years, God answered that question for me. This
Church was one of Denver’s larger mega churches, but the Wednesday evening
services typically only held about a tenth of the usual Sunday audience. On
this occasion it was filled to standing room only capacity, and 90% of those in
attendance were high school students! A very moving experience indeed, and even
more so, realizing that events like this
were taking place all over the city, and probably around the country! Our
pastor was out of the country on vacation at the time so an associate pastor
was left with the task of trying to comfort thousands of distraught,
broken-hearted, and confused teenagers! Obviously a task that only God Himself
has the Power to accomplish, and He did! And in the process He answered my
question in a loud and clear and unquestionable way! After a brief message by
the pastor, an Alter call was given and ALL went forward! Thousands of
teenagers made a commitment to Christ in the wake of this great tragedy! While
satan took a few innocent lives, God saved thousands!
While this Truth has had a major impact on
my Faith over the past 15 years, as I’ve grown and matured in Christ, I’ve
noticed an alarming and overwhelming increase in the occurrences of such
heinous crime and violence, and every type of sinful behavior known to man!
