Responding to Tragedy

I was utterly stunned when I heard the news. How could someone so young, so vibrant, intelligent, winsome, charismatic and articulate, in a flash be taken out, executed? Charlie Kirk was doing what God had called him to do, engaging with young people, promoting mutually respectful dialogue, often with those who disagreed with him, and showing them his faith, his sense of hope for their future and a better way forward. He was not only articulate when discussing conservative values and America’s founding principles, he was perhaps one of the most articulate spokespersons for the Gospel of Jesus Christ! And suddenly, he was gone!

As the truth of this tragedy began to sink in, I was flooded with three specific emotions: An overwhelming sadness, a rising anger, and a sense of helplessness. It didn’t take long before realizing I needed to keep my anger in check. The Lord reminded me of James 1:20: “Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires”. But I knew in my heart, that God was angry too! King David penned Psalm 11 and in verse 5 he writes, “The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence.” I began to ask the Lord, what can I do instead of just watching this tragedy and resigning myself to another victory for the enemy?

In the middle of the night I got the answer. I awoke with four specific actions I could take. I am still overwhelmed with grief but these action steps have begun to help me and perhaps they might help you as well.

1. Pray for Charlie’s family! Despite the unspeakable violence that took him, Charlie no longer needs our prayers. Doctors reported that because of the location where he was hit, it is likely his spirit left his broken body within a couple of minutes. The Apostle Paul encouraged the Christians at Corinth in Second Corinthians 5:8 with this truth, “Yes, we are fully confident and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be home with the Lord.” Long before we got confirmation that Charlie Kirk had died, his spirit was more alive than ever in the presence of the Savior he loved and proclaimed. So, it’s not Charlie who needs our prayers but rather his precious young family. His wife and his young son and daughter who now have only pictures and memories of their husband and father. They can no longer enjoy his presence with them. God cares about these things and so should I. Psalm 68:5 says, “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows, this is God, whose dwelling is holy.” Then James reminds us in Chapter 1 verse 27 that pure and genuine religion includes caring for orphans and widows.

I’m praying first of all for a peace that passes all understanding that can only come from Jesus Christ. Secondly, I’m praying that the Church shows up for this family to meet their needs and, where appropriate, fill the huge holes left by Charlie’s absence. Thirdly, I’m praying for protection for his young family. Also, for a divine shield to surround them and keep them not only from physical harm, but from those who are continually spewing hatred toward everything they believe in. I’m praying for his extended family as well, and for all of his colleagues. I want God to keep reminding me to pray for this family, not just until the Memorial Service ends, but even after this story fades from the news cycle. Their pain will last a very long time!

2. The second thing the Lord is prompting me to do is to pray for law enforcement, from the campus police to the FBI. I’m praying for a quick end to this manhunt. That the evil person or persons involved in assassinating Charlie Kirk will be found and brought to justice. King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 8:11, “When crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.” For too long, authorities have turned a blind eye to political violence. According to God’s Word, that is the best way to keep it going!

3. The third thing I believe the Lord is prompting me is to learn some lessons from Charlie Kirk’s life. While his death has been described as a political assassination, many commentators have been saying what stood out most about Charlie was his bold faith in Jesus. The millions of young people who looked up to him also understood this. He never passed up an opportunity to share the Gospel with his audience. He freely admitted that he was a sinner and that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for his sin, then rose from the dead to secure, for him, eternal life in Heaven. That Gospel was the foundation to all the other truths he advocated for. He believed very strongly in freedom. In John 8:36 it says, “If the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” When my life here comes to an end, I hope my wife says I was a faithful husband, my children say I was a great dad and my grandchildren say I was a fun grandpa. But most of all I want people to know I loved Jesus and that some people, including my family came to know Jesus because of my life. I want to emulate Charlie’s boldness to do what God calls me to do in my small sphere of influence.

4. Finally, I’m convinced that this world needs to change, and I’m praying for revival! Admittedly in my angry moments, I want people to pay for what they’ve done. I want all the godless folks who commit or advocate for political violence to immediately be judged and removed. But that’s not going to happen, because our Lord is more merciful than I. Second Peter 3:9 reminds us, “The Lord is patient, He doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

So, revival is the solution for our messed-up world! I attended college at Liberty in the early 1980’s. Back then, the Moral Majority was in full swing and our Chancellor, Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. always told us students that our nation’s future would either be one of revival or judgement! Today it is much worse than it was in the early 80’s and I am repulsed by the hateful rhetoric and murderous actions of people who don’t know Jesus. Only He can fix the problem at its source. We read in Jeremiah 17:9, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” God is the only one who can fix the heart! The more people who hear the Gospel and receive the salvation Jesus offers, the sooner good can begin to overcome evil.

It’ll be a long time before I get over the tragedy of September 10th 2025 but God has given me a positive and I believe a Biblical way to respond and as I obey, I pray that He will do what only He can do to comfort the grieving and make things right. Rest with Jesus Charlie Kirk!

Tracy Figley

President Strong Tower Christian Media