Disarmed

In 1798, President John Adams issued a proclamation that May 9th be “a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer” due to the danger the United States was facing.

France threatened. Commerce halted. The fledgling nation had barely enough to subsist, much less wage war. Adams knew the need was dire. (You can read his whole proclamation HERE.)

He called all citizens to “acknowledge before God the manifold Sins and Transgressions with which we are justly chargeable as Individuals and as a Nation.”

It worked. The Lord preserved the new nation because its people called on Him in humility.

Today, we’re faced with a danger no less threatening and outcomes no less dire. 

Just last week, a man, who was convinced that he was a woman, took firearms to a Christian school and shot several children who were attending church before taking his own life. 

The dangers are multi-faceted. It isn’t a one-time occurrence. We all wonder if our children’s school will be next. More recently, perhaps we wonder if our child will fall prey to these deceptive ideologies and be the aggressor.

We all offer solutions too: regulate firearms; do mental health screenings; homeschool; beef up security; isolate ourselves; pray.

And we do pray. We pray enough that we even get some backlash from those who think of prayer as talking to an imaginary friend.

But are we grieved enough to declare our own day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer, as Adams did? Does our sorrow lead us, not to lay blame on others, but to take the blame squarely on our own shoulders and admit, “I’m a part of this problem.”

You may not live in Minneapolis, and you weren’t holding the weapons that day; however, you are a citizen of a nation which for years has been participating in the lie that men are women and women are men. You are a citizen who has hated your neighbor, exhibited pride, and wanted your own way. How do I know? Because I am too.

What can we do? It’s a nationwide problem larger than school violence, transgender ideology, sexual deviancy, or broken homes. No government program can fix this. 

But God can.

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This, He set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

Our whole rap sheet has been handled already. Instead of screaming that this mess is someone else’s fault, oughtn’t we to kneel down and say, “It was me. It was my sin. I am a wicked citizen of a wicked nation. Please, please, live through me! Forgive my sin!” 

And the result? 

“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in Him.”

When we humble ourselves to accept the forgiveness Christ offers, He disarms every worker of evil. They are stripped of their weapons and are rendered harmless. No longer can they tempt us, shame us, or dominate us because we are alive in Christ. We have become a new creation that doesn’t have to fear evil because we know Who has defeated it. We are no longer ruled by sin, but we are freed to obey Christ.

Even death is disarmed when we humble ourselves, repent of our sin, and seek the One who nailed our sin to the cross, enabling us to live in relationship with Him forever.

In the meantime, families are mourning the loss of their children. The shooter’s family is mourning his loss and perhaps also missed opportunities. Our nation is grieving and asking the question, “Where was God?” 

He was behind our backs because we refused to face Him. He was holding the hands of the children and adults in that room who were calling out for His help. He was calling out to an errant nation, inviting us to return to the refuge we had under His wing. 

He is calling still.