Unshaken in a Shattered World
Unshaken in a Shattered World
Our world has always known moments that shake us to our core. For some, it was the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 or Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, events that reshaped the moral landscape. I recall, as a sixth-grader in 1986, watching the Space Shuttle Challenger explode on live television—a tragedy that stole a sense of safety. The 1990s brought the Oklahoma City bombing and the Columbine shooting, and most of us can pinpoint exactly where we were on September 11, 2001, when terror struck the World Trade Center. These moments force us to grapple with evil and ask: How do we hold fast to faith when fear surrounds us?
On September 10, 2025, our nation was rocked again by the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a bold voice for biblical values and a cultural influencer, particularly among Gen Z. Such tragedies don’t just wound us; they challenge our beliefs, our security, and our calling as Christians. We need the Wise Shepherd to guide our hearts through grief, anger, and confusion, through His Word. We should acknowledge and reflect on three truths: the reality of sin and the call for righteous judgment, the courage to speak truth in spiritual warfare, and Jesus as the only hope for a broken world.
The reality of sin and the call for righteous judgment
Sin entered the world in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve rebelled, plunging humanity into corruption. As David confesses in Psalm 51:5, we’re born in sin, our hearts bent toward self rather than God. Paul explains in Romans 5:12, “Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” This is why we witness horrors—murders, terror attacks, school shootings.
Isaiah 5:20 warns against calling evil good or good evil. It’s right to name evil for what it is and to feel righteous anger, as Paul permits in Ephesians 4:26: “Be angry and do not sin.” This anger should drive us to God-honoring action, not vengeance. Romans 12:19 reminds us to leave wrath to God, who has ordained authorities to enact justice (Romans 13:1-4).
We should expect righteous justice for atrocities like Kirk’s assassination, since part of loving our neighbor is affirming the value of every life lost. Yet, ultimate justice awaits Christ’s return, when He will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31). We should pray that even those who commit such evils repent and find salvation in Jesus.
The courage to speak truth in spiritual warfare
When someone like Charlie Kirk, who stood for biblical truths—life begins at conception, marriage is between one man and one woman, Marxism is wrong, etc.—is killed, fear can tempt us to silence. But Scripture calls us to courage. Ephesians 6:12 declares our battle is not against flesh and blood but against “spiritual forces of evil.” Satan seeks to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10), but Christ has triumphed over him (Colossians 2:15). Through His Spirit, we have “power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Like John the Baptist confronting Herod’s sin or Jesus exposing the world’s evil (John 7:7), we must speak truth boldly, not arrogantly, but lovingly. Matthew 16:25 challenges us: “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Our mission is the spread of the gospel, not self-preservation. Speak truth at work, school, or home, trusting that “greater is He who is in you” (1 John 4:4).
Jesus: the only hope for a broken world
Secular voices can decry evil, but only Christians offer lasting hope. In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus redirected questions about tragedies to eternity: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Tragedies remind us life is fleeting; the real question is whether we’ve repented and believed in Jesus, “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Through His resurrection, we have a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3-7). No one who comes to Him is rejected.
So, what now? Repent and believe on Jesus Christ. Read your Bible. Worship with your church. Live purposefully for the Lord. Young men, reject cultural lies devaluing family—marry, lead boldly, be unshakable. Young women, prioritize family over feminism’s attacks on biblical roles. All of us, stand for truth, unafraid of cancel culture. Be salt and light.
The world may be shattered, but in Christ, you are unshaken. Proclaim Him, for He is our only hope.
