HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS REACT TO VIOLENCE?

“How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.” – Habakkuk 1:2-4.

We’re living in very violent times. At home, abroad, to the point of exhaustion, hopelessness, and numbness. Our families are torn by violence. Our communities are destroyed by violence. Our faith is tested by violence. There is no reprieve in sight and every reason to expect it to never stop.

It’s tempting to shut down emotionally in light of all of this violence. It’s tempting to give into despair. “So goes the world,” we might say, wanting it to change by feeling powerless to affect a change. What is the proper response to violence? In an increasingly violent culture, this is a question we must all ask ourselves as followers of Jesus.   

Violence is nothing new. Long before planes were flown into buildings, explosives detonated, assassination attempts, or even guns manufactured, godly men sought God’s protection and deliverance from violence. David, the King of Israel, is just one example. And lest we forget, the center of our faith and the foundation of our salvation is one of the most violent and gory events in the history of the world — namely, the crucifixion of Jesus. There is no salvation without this violence.

Habakkuk, one of Israel’s minor, or lesser, prophets, steps into the scene when God’s people were in severe decline. They had abandoned following God’s will. Habakkuk loved God, he loved God’s law, he loved God’s people, and he wanted to see God’s people obey and glorify God. Despite his prayers, Habakkuk sees things getting worse. Habakkuk had repeatedly called upon God to act, to intervene, to set things right, to just do something. Yet there was silence. Finally, out of a deep sense of frustration and confusion, he cries out to God, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help?” (Habakkuk 1:1)

God did answer Habakkuk, but it was not the answer he had expected. God’s solution was to have them invaded by the Babylonians. We don’t want the Babylonians running roughshod over us. We want things to be fixed. We want things to be better. God, can’t you wave your hand or say a few words and fix all the evil, make things that are out of whack back in line and also transform the not so good people into good people. In other words, make everything right. He could, but is that what is best for us?

God’s answer to Habakkuk reminds us of the limitations of our perspective. To us, it sometimes seems as if the wicked will prosper forever. While the Lord may use even the wicked to achieve His purposes, He will make it right in the end.

The one thing we can do is pray. We are called to be “a people of prayer.” Prayer is not just our emergency resource. As a Christian, it is our lifeline. It is our source of strength for daily living. Prayer is how God reveals His plan for our lives to us. In times of uncertainty, we find safety in God’s presence.

Discussion Questions:

1. How should we react to violence in our culture?
2. How should we pray in light of that violence?