Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:20-22, NRSV
We are praying for comfort and peace today, for the students, families and school community of Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. It's the peace and comfort of the Lord upon which we rely when unexplainable tragedy invades our lives. And while those who are in position to do so are seeking answers and trying to figure things out, peace and comfort will be ministers to the souls of those who are hurting and grieving right now.
As school shootings have become epidemic in our culture, Christian schools cannot think that we are immune to such occurrences. We have been fortunate in that we haven't seen very many, but one of the reasons for this is that we represent only 3% of the total enrollment of the school aged population in the United States. And I also believe that what we offer to our students in the way of discipleship and spiritual ministry is one way that helps resolve many of the emotional and social problems experienced by students which can be triggers for such behavior.
In fact, what we know and have learned from each of these tragedies, which now occur by the hundreds in schools across the country, is that they are mostly internal in nature. That is, they are committed by a student in the school where they occur, not because there's been some kind of a security breach, but because circumstances enabled the elements of a shooting, which includes an emotionally disturbed or abused student or former student, and a lethal weapon, usually a gun, to come together inside the school.
We take preventative action, in the form of safety drills and precautions, locked doors, camera surveillance, a heightened police presence. But the real weapon against the emotional disturbances that cause 95% of school shootings is spiritual transformation. If this does nothing else, it reminds us of the critical importance of the ministry that takes place inside a Christian school. The world in which we live is fallen, the record of the fall is in Genesis 3. Our best weapon against the evil that distorts minds and hearts is the word, and the exposure to it every day that helps students discern when they are sensing conviction of sin. There is a path to redemption, and there are some people who have a very difficult time following it. We're here every day to help our students do just that.
This was something intended to disrupt the ministry of a Christian school, even to the point of robbing students, parents and staff of their security and replacing it with fear. Christian schools not only provide an education for students, but they also provide discipleship, and they help lead students to the Lord, encourage them, strengthen them and help them realize and fulfill their calling in the will of God. So there is an enemy prowling around, who's interest is to disrupt and destroy. So pray that this school, as well as ours, will be strengthened, and will unite around their faith in Christ, as a result of this incident.
And pray for the families of both the shooter and the victims.