– Gunman Stephen Paddock kills 58 IN Las Vegas Shooting
– President Donald Trump turns to Psalm
The gunman identified as Stephen Paddock opened fire on a music festival crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, killing 58 people and injuring 489 others. It is believed to be US deadliest mass attack in modern US history.
“Scripture teaches us the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit,” he said, referencing Psalm 34:18. “We seek comfort in those words, for we know that God lives in the hearts of those who grieve,” said Trump.
The psalm he quoted ranks among the top verses that Bible readers turn to after mass shootings.
Bible Gateway analyzed search patterns surrounding Sunday night’s concert shooting as well as 18 other major incidents of violence over the past decade, including Virginia Tech in 2007, Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, San Bernardino in 2015, and Orlando’s Pulse nightclub in 2016. Among the site’s 150 million-plus visitors a year, the four verses that saw distinct spikes in readership around those shootings were:
- John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
- Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
- Romans 12:19: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
- Psalm 11:5 “The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.”
Overall, these go-to verses address God’s deliverance from the brokenness of the world—a condition many onlookers feel acutely during times of national tragedy.
Passages from the Psalms in particular regularly appear among the most-searched and most-shared verses in Scripture, and they take on particular significance as Christians look to the biblical text to express laments and frustrations.
Pastor Louie Giglio and Christine Caine shared Psalm 34:18 in response to the Vegas attack, while David Platt ranked it as his top prayer for families and victims. Elsewhere in the Psalms, Beth Moore referenced Psalm 7:9, Kari Jobe, Psalm 9:9; and Anne Graham Lotz, Psalm 23:4.
Several verses associated with the end times also trended on Bible Gateway after the mass shootings.
Source: ChristianityToday
