Where was God?

I know that since the terrible tragedy of the school shootings in Connecticut we have been inundated with constant coverage in the newspapers, television news, and social media such as facebook and twitter. Maybe I am late to the scene with this post but I wanted to see how most Christians would respond first, not so I could just copy or parrot what most evangelicals were expressing. I immediately had my thoughts in alignment as to why I thought it happened and how I would answer the common objection about where was God in all this. So where was God during this horrific tragedy? Right where He always is. On His throne.

 So many well meaning Christians erroneously start flooding social media and blogs with "well if God was allowed in schools, we wouldn't have this problem" kind of posts and comments. But we must remember that God is sovereign and omnipresent. God is no longer omnipresent just because the government makes laws forbidding prayer or removing the Ten Commandments from our public schools. God is sovereign and in control. God was at Sandy Hook Elementary. Did He cause this? Of course not! Did He allow it to happen? I don't think there is a simple answer there. He most certainly knew it would happen. God is eternal and sees eternity past, present, and eternity future like we would flip through a history book. I understand what these well meaning Christians were trying to express. We are witnessing the inevitable consequences of removing prayer, Bibles, and moral accountability from our public teaching institutions. When our young people are taught atheistic evolution and that we are just animals, survival of the fittest, then what do we expect but moral disregard for the value of human life. We are witnessing the profound effect of sin. I get that. I agree with that, however it still does not change the sovereignty of God.
In a article written just days ago, Matt Slick of CARM.org addresses this in the article "Where is God and the Connecticut School Shooting: A Christian Response." In discussing where was God, Slick writes,

"The answer is simple.  God is where he has always been, all around us.  He is there when bad happens as well as good.  He was there when Herod ordered the death of the young boys under two (Matt. 2:16).  He was there when Jesus was being crucified (Matt. 27:33-34).  He was there when Jesus healed the paralytic (Luke 5:17-26).  He was there when Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead (Luke 8:41-42,51-56)."

Most importantly Slick addresses the issue, why did God allow it to happen or why didn't He step in and stop it? He states

"Though we have no perfect answers, I offer this.  God is letting us have what we want.  He is letting us suffer the consequences of our independence from him."
"Our society has placed God beyond the boundaries of moral relevance.  It has restricted him to a mythological status who is believed in only by the bigoted religious right.  Our society has turned its back on God's truths and substituted its own.  Instead of upholding the sacred institution of marriage, it legislates homosexuality in its redefinition of the family.  Instead of encouraging society to be morally good, it defends the rights of people to be promiscuous.  Instead of protecting the innocent, it legislates the killing of the unborn.  Then, when elementary school children are killed by a crazed monster, it raises his head and asks, "God, where are you?"
"Where is He?  He is watching from the outside where most of society wants him to be.  He has been watching from the confines of our national disbelief and rejection of his sovereign goodness.  It seems that society only wants God on its terms, not his."

As I stated before we are witnessing the profound effects of sin, of a nation being handed over to its depraved minds. Slick then goes on to discuss the Christian response to this tragedy and makes some very important points. So I highly recommend you head over to CARM's website and read the article in its entirety here.
I think that it is obvious that as Christians we should join together and pray for the precious lives lost and the grieving families left behind. We grieve with those that grieve or "we mourn with those that mourn" (Romans 12:15 b).
So, is there a evangelistic and/or apologetic facet when tragedies like this strike? I believe so. Apologetically remember that we sanctify the Lord God in our hearts and always be prepared to give an answer (1 Peter 3:15). A extremely common objection to the Christian Worldview is if God is all knowing and all powerful why is there suffering, why does He allow tragedies like this to happen? So we must be prepared to give an answer to this objection. Evangelistically we need to call out to the world that these things clearly demonstrate the wickedness of man and the only hope we have is found in Jesus Christ. That this story has a ending and we know Who wins. Revelation 21:4 tells us that a day is coming when Jesus will wipe away every tear and there will be no pain and suffering. However if we do not repent, turn from our sinful ways and put our trust in the Savior we will be joining the Adam Lanza's of this world for an eternity in Hell. You may be agreeing with me right now, but remember that Hell will not be just filled with mass murderers, rapists, and serial killers. Almighty God can not be in the presence of sin, so when He does away with evil it will not just be the murderers of this world, but will also be liars, adulterers, blasphemers, idolaters, fornicators, drunkards, homosexuals, and revilers (1 Corinthians 6: 9-10). So if you fit into any of these categories just the same as I do and you have not repented of your sins, turned away from your sins and turned towards God, and put your trust in Jesus Christ then today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Put your face in the carpet, beg for repentance and receive Jesus Christ by faith and faith alone as your Lord and Savior.  If you do He will forgive you your sins, cause you to be born again (John 3:3), remove your heart of stone, give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), and give you the righteous standing of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), so that when you stand before Him on that day of judgement He will find you "not guilty" and you will enter heaven with Him. It will not be because you are a good person, but a wretched sinner that has been forgiven. Its a free gift, you can not earn it, you can not work for it, you can not do enough good deeds (Ephesians 2: 8-9).....its a FREE gift. Salvation is by grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone. Please do not wait another day, there might not be a tomorrow!
Grace, Peace, and Love,
Steven