READ Psalm 139
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
-- Psalm 139:16 (NIV)
Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10, 2025. He was an extremely gifted follower of Jesus Christ. He boldly spoke the truth from God’s Word, the Bible. His involvement in the political process won him many devoted friends, and of course, many enemies. He was in good company. The Lord Jesus was widely hated when he physically walked on the earth 2,000 years ago.
Some may ask why God let this happen. Couldn’t He have stopped it? How could He allow one of the most capable Christian apologists in American history—with a wife and two young children—to be cut down in the prime of life? The answer lies in God’s sovereignty. As the scripture passage for today states, God has preordained how long each of us will live (see also Job 14:5; 21:21). We each have an expiration date written for us in God’s book. If we accept this, we can have peace when something terrible like this happens.
Someone may ask, what if a person becomes a drug addict, or an alcoholic, or smokes two packs of cigarettes a day, or engages in other risky behavior to potentially shorten their lifespan? Or what if they commit suicide? Doesn’t that impact the date they are scheduled to die? Only God can navigate the complex intersection between His sovereign will and a person’s free will. God may sovereignly choose to shorten or lengthen a person’s lifespan (see examples found in Job 17:1; 22:16; 2 Kings 10:1-6; Proverbs 10:27; Ecclesiastes 7:17). The Bible says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We can trust that whatever our end date, God loves us and wants what’s best for us in the light of eternity, and may use our death to accomplish His greater purposes.
Millions of people around the world, especially young people, are viewing videos of Charlie in action. They’re considering the things of God in a way that perhaps they never had before. It may be that Charlie’s death will be a catalyst for spiritual revival in the United States and around the world. If so, Charlie did not die a martyr’s death in vain. Young people were a key component of past American revivals; perhaps this one will be no exception.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Even when things seem chaotic, God is in control.
Prayer: Father in heaven, please comfort Charlie’s family and friends as they mourn his loss.
Prayer Focus: YOUNG PEOPLE
Rick Stockwell retired from a career in information technology, teaches Sunday school for first graders, served as an elder at his church, has been married for thirty-five years, and has two children and six grandchildren.
Rick is the author of two novels in his Heavenly Realms series called The Wall and The Battle. Audio, eBook and paperback versions are accessible via this link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07HQ8G3MJ
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