America has been praying hard since Sandy Hook and it's working! The results haven't fully kicked in yet, but according to praying gun-owners, news headlines in America will soon look like this...
School Shooter's AR-15 Temporarily Disabled by God
Shooter Unable to Fire at Mall Shoppers, Claims "Gun Worked Fine Yesterday"
Toddler Opens Father's Gun Cabinet, Finds Lollipops Instead of Glocks
Responsible Gun Owner Attempts to Kill Wife: God Intervenes, Reminds Him of Responsibilities
Hunter Mistakenly Fires at Son, God Embodies Rare Albino Moose, Takes Bullet
I really, really want to live in this America. I wish God would hurry up. Or that gun-owners would pray more. They must not be praying enough because here's a tiny sample of actual headlines from the last few months in America:
3-Year-Old Shoots Self in Face
Girl, 4, Fatally Shoots Cousin, 4, in Tragic Accident
3-Year-Old Boy Shoots Twin Brother
5-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots, Kills Himself
2-Year-Old Boy Shoots and Kills 11-Year-Old Sister
5-Year-Old Shoots, Kills Playmate
The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that firearms are one of the top three causes of death among children, killing twice as many kids as cancer does. Gun deaths exceed motor-vehicle deaths in 14 states.
What are our options?
We can...
A.) Severely restrict civilian gun ownership. Like these developed countries do.
Or
B.) Pray to God. Ask that He alone determine when bullets are fired on a case-by-case basis.
It's a tough choice. Americans love their guns as much as terrorists love their guns. Not that Americans are terrorists! Of course not. But we are deeply, passionately, ideologically attached to our guns. Can you imagine Al Qaeda giving up their guns because thousands of their beloved brothers, sisters and little children were dying? LOL. LOL. LOL.
Many of you will cringe at the idea of comparing your gun with a terrorist's gun. Your gun is pure, as pure as apple pie. You proudly keep it in your home (locked up, of course!) and your children know where it is but they could never find the key. When you read depressing headlines about kindergartners shooting themselves in the face, you feel sad but you would never, ever consider not having guns. Asking an American to give up their gun is like asking the sun to move over a bit so the glare won't hit your TV screen.
Evidently there is absolutely nothing Americans can do. Only God can help.
The Chief of Police of Ocala, Florida must have been thinking this very thing. Last week he sent an urgent memo inviting his community to a prayer vigil. The memo says: "We are facing a crisis in the city of Ocala and Marion County that requires fervent prayer."
The crisis? Stray bullets.
The Chief of Police's answer to stray bullets? Prayer.
In the last 30 days stray bullets have struck two children and an infant in Ocala. There were other deaths and injuries from bullets but the Chief obviously feels powerless against the particular variety of bullets known as strays. It's one thing to get shot by a well-intended bullet, but getting shot by a stray bullet doesn't seem fair.
I hope the prayer vigil is successful. If it is, and God responds to all those prayers, what will the new America look like? Currently, when God answers prayers about illness, the person gets better. When He answers prayers about passing important tests, the test-taker passes. Answered prayers have clear results. So what will America look like when God answers gun-violence prayers...
Maybe He will redirect all the stray bullets into near-by trees. Maybe He'll send a good-guy-with-a-gun to kill a bad-guy-with-a-gun, making sure the good guy doesn't get shot in the process. Maybe He will send a sobering ray of light to blind a drunk husband causing him to misfire and subsequently reconsider how much he loves his wife. That sounds good. And totally doable. But what about all the other gun deaths? How will God prevent those?
The answer seems clear: Guns will only kill when God intends them to kill.
Depressed teen with family gun? No.
Toddler playing with gun? No.
Home invasion? Yes!
Drive-by shooting? No.
Hunting bears? Yes!
Hunting horses? No.
12-year-old showing off Dad's gun to his friends? No.
Drunk Uncle with gun? No.
Sober Uncle at shooting range? Yes!
Mentally ill grandfather with gun? No.
The list goes on. There's no end to the ways God -- and only God -- can spare us from this national crisis of bad shootings. It's exciting to think about the change that lies ahead!
