Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Feb. 28, 2012

“Evil Never Sleeps!”
“For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.” – Proverbs 4:16

I remember my early days when I became a Christian. I was fourteen and was learning so many new things. I remember hearing the story of Harmon Schmelzenbach, our pioneer missionary to Africa. There was a book and a movie about his life and ministry called, “They Cry in the Night.” It talked about a spiritual darkness that the people were under and it was the reminder that the need for Christ does not end when the sun goes down. In fact—the need may increase.
When you think of Africa you think of Lions. There is a Scripture that reminds us of this thought: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” – 1st Peter 5:8, 9 (NIV)

There is an equal spiritual darkness that cannot be ignored—and it is right in our back yard. And it does not discriminate when it comes to age. It was only twelve years ago when Americans were shocked to hear of the tragedy that unfolded in Jonesboro, Arkansas, as two boys—one age 11 and the other age 13—dressed in army-type clothing, fired off dozens of rounds of ammunition in ambush-style from their hiding place in the nearby woods adjacent to their school at their classmates and teachers who had been forced to exit the building following the pulling of a fire alarm. Four young girls and a 32-year-old teacher were killed; many were wounded. State newspapers later named it the “Westside Middle School Massacre.” Seven weapons were recovered—three rifles and four handguns. The boys couldn’t gain access to a locked gun-case owned by one of the fathers, but the grandfather’s gun collection was not locked. On the night before the shooting, the boys loaded the minivan owned by one of their mothers with camping supplies, snack foods, and the guns. The following morning, the boys drove to the woods near the school, and one of them entered the school and pulled a fire alarm before returning to join his friend. From their location in the woods, they opened fire. When they attempted to escape in the minivan, they were captured by police. The boys were among the youngest ever charged with capital murder in U.S. history. The prosecutor later said that if the boys had been older, he would have sought the death penalty for the pair. In the summer of 1998 they were sentenced to prison until they reached the age of 18. The sentence was later amended to the age of 21. One of the boys was released from custody in 2003. The other was released in 2007.
In the wake of that incident, people from all levels of society asked hard questions—the kinds of questions that have no answers. Who was at fault here? How could the boys obtain their arsenal of weapons without anyone knowing about it? What were they thinking? How could they point and shoot at other children? Were there no warning signs? Why didn’t classmates share their concerns with authority’s days earlier? Could this happen in our community? Difficult questions, all.
One fact seems clear: our children are not waiting until adulthood to “put away childish things.” They want to make decisions regarding their future at an earlier age than ever before. Adolescence has overtaken child-hood. Name it; our kids have seen it or have experienced it personally. Parents everywhere are facing challenges that their parents never dreamed of facing.
What does the Church say in the face of tragedies like Jonesboro? Perhaps there are no sure “solutions” to the troubles children and youth experience today. Certainly no generation of Americans has been exposed to so much violence, abuse, and secular thinking as today’s youth have seen. But the church must begin somewhere! Being silent or passive only reinforces the view that the situation is hopeless. And we cannot afford to accept hopelessness as a norm for our society. There is hope, and it can be found in the word of God and in the life of Christ.
If you are a parent of a young child reading this—be on the alert. Listen for the roar—because unlike the words of the song, “the lion sleeps tonight,” in the spiritual realm, evil does not sleep. Thankfully, neither does our Lord and is available to hear our prayers of supplication at anytime of the day or night!
Pastor J. T. Carnell