America is in mourning. She has been cut to the heart by the assassination of Charlie Kirk. And that means all of America.
The horrific events at Utah Valley University transcended every possible subdivision like nothing since 9-11.
You could see it immediately. Patriots lowered Old Glory to half-mast even before President Trump signed the proclamation. When was the last time that citizens spontaneously lowered the Stars and Stripes at the death of anyone - much less a civilian? The question alone speaks volumes.
You can see its significance in the sheer volume of newsprint, social media, and text messages. This is especially remarkable in that Charlie was a private citizen who never even held public office.
Even though Kirk was famous for hanging out on college campuses, he was not a college graduate.
Even though he generated millions of dollars annually, he was not a pro athlete.
Even though he had more than 4 million followers, he never released an album.
And even though he had more than a billion views, he never made a movie.
Charlie Kirk’s superpower was to sit on a stool and engage in dialogue - with anyone, about anything. He was so good at it that both fans and foes would stand in line for hours to hear his opinion or to challenge his views.
He was so good at it that Satan sought to silence him. And a deranged sniper did his handiwork.
Within moments of Wednesday’s shooting, phones lit up across America. Mine did, too. I did what any pastor should do. I prayed. And prayed again.
Next, I composed a prayer request and sent it to my congregation. We prayed for the medical team that was working to save Charlie’s life. We prayed for his wife and children, who were watching their whole world explode. And we prayed for a nation that had never before seen a political assassin come gunning for a non-politician.
But even as I was composing this prayer, another sadness filled my heart. And it soon became overwhelming.
It was the sadness of knowing that the same devil who sought to silence Charlie Kirk’s confession of Jesus was already at work to stifle the prayers of professing Christians.
Soon, godless talking heads would be using every tactic, from diversion to division to personal attack, to prevent their audience from caring enough about Charlie to pray for him.
Some simply would cover the evil in silence. Others would downplay its newsworthiness. Still others would spin it as a matter that concerned only certain partisans.
The specific tactic may vary, but the intended result is clear: to make the love of many grow cold (Matthew 24:12). And by cooling love, Satan stifles the voice of prayer.
How many millions of prayers were not offered for Erika and the kids because Charlie spoke unrelentingly for the unborn? How many millions of prayers for his surgeons were withheld because Charlie opposed harmful surgeries on children? How many prayers for America were stifled because Charlie wanted to make it great again?
Let the devil debate whether the motives are worthy or not. Evil is as evil does. And that’s the wake-up call that Charlie’s death handed to America.
If your source of information discourages you from prayer, turn it off.
If your social network mocks a fellow believer, say: “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Then, publicly defend your slandered brother.
If anyone tells you - for any reason - that a fellow human being is undeserving of your love and prayers, recognize the evil for what it is and cut it off without hesitation. If it is better to cut off an offending hand or to pluck out an eye, surely we should give even more attention to lesser attachments.
This world may be full of hate and anger and division, but no follower of Jesus should give the devil quarter. Rather, you are called to overcome evil with good.
Overcoming evil with good means recognizing it when you see it. Whether it is callous disregard for the unborn, or for de-transitioners, or for people of a party not your own. That’s what Charlie stood for, and why his death is an opportunity to reunite all Americans.
The only question is whether you will use it as an opportunity to unite or as just one more reason to divide.
The evil that divides us can be defeated by God alone. That’s why Satan’s greater strategy is not to silence a voice of debate. It is to silence the voice of prayer.
Don’t let him.
Jonathan Lange is a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod pastor in Evanston and Kemmerer and serves the Wyoming Pastors Network. Follow his blog at https://jonathanlange.substack.com/. Email: JLange64@protonmail.com.
