Not knowing what to say, I haven’t wanted to respond to the recent injustices happening in our country–until now. Most of the arguments surrounding events in Ferguson and New York have been steeped in racial prejudice. And while race does seem to play a huge role, it is not the only factor to consider. I am upset about the unwarranted deaths of unarmed black Americans too, and I wish that I could say that it surprises me, but it doesn’t.

Jesus warned us about this.

“Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. ⁸ But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

⁹ “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.^{[a] 10} And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. ¹¹ And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. ¹² Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations^[b] will hear it; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:7-15 NLT).

All of the social unrest that exists in our nation and in the world was foretold over 2000 years ago. We are living in the last and evil days. We can see it in the unpredictable weather, in the rebellious actions of children, and yes in the senseless deaths of innocent people. And our enemy, Satan, is enjoying all of it because he is the accuser of the brethren. He is the author of confusion. He is the one who comes to kill, steal, and destroy.  Jesus told us this also so that we wouldn’t be ignorant of his plans.

Am I saying that we should have a we-knew-this-would-happen-so-suck-it-up-and-move-on attitude? ABSOLUTELY NOT! What I want to express is that we should heed Jesus’ warnings to watch and pay attention to what is going on around us. Now more than ever, people who don’t have a personal relationship with Christ should be running to Him and those who do name the name of Christ should be drawing closer to Him and bringing others along with them. Deepening our relationship with Him will give us the confidence to trust Him for our safety and the well-being of our beloved children. If we really know Him, we’ll know that He has our backs and keeps us covered at all times. There is no defense like His defense–not in a court of law, not in guns and violence, and not in a political system. If we really know Him we don’t have to worry or live in fear about our families and communities. It’s when we don’t know Him through salvation that our fate lies in the hands of Satan–and that should come as no surprise either. It seems that what black America and the entire world for that matter should be doing instead of lifting their hands to say “don’t shoot” is lifting their hands toward God in worship.

I’m just sayin’.