Thoughts and Prayers Are Not Enough

After the tragedy in Minneapolis, critics sneered: “Thoughts and prayers are not enough. Those children were literally praying when they were gunned down.” It’s a painful statement, and at first glance it seems to carry weight. But it rests on a deep misunderstanding—of God, of free will, and of what prayer really is.

In the wake of such grief, the calls came swiftly: more gun laws, more restrictions, more bans. Politicians stood before cameras insisting that if only Washington had passed another regulation, these children would still be alive. Yet Minnesota already has some of the strictest gun laws in the country—universal background checks, red flag laws, and permits required for certain firearms. None of them stopped this evil act.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth: those laws didn’t stop the tragedy any more than the children’s prayers did. Both law and prayer have limits—not because they are meaningless, but because neither can erase human free will. Evil men will always find ways to break laws, just as God will not violate His own gift of freedom to block every evil choice. To mock one while clinging blindly to the other is hypocrisy.

But here is the danger: when politicians respond by demanding the disarmament of the innocent, they do not remove evil from the world. They only remove the means by which good men and women can stand against it.

The Gift of Free Will

From the very beginning, God gave humanity a gift: the ability to choose. Without it, love would be meaningless, obedience would be robotic, and even good deeds would lose their value.

Free will means that every human being carries the power to choose good—or evil. And because God honors that gift, He does not step in to override it every time someone chooses evil. If He did, then free will would no longer exist.

And here’s the deeper reason why free will matters: only by choosing God freely—through faith, obedience, and love—can we return to His presence. If there were no choice, there could be no faith. If there were no risk of turning away, there could be no authentic turning toward. Free will is the very condition that makes salvation possible.

That truth is both beautiful and terrifying: our choices matter.

No Freedom from Consequence

What God did not give us is freedom from consequence. Every choice carries weight. A man who chooses evil leaves destruction in his path. Innocent people are often caught in that wake—not because God failed, but because human beings misused the freedom He gave them.

When tragedy strikes, it isn’t proof that God is absent. It’s proof that evil is real, and that free will is powerful.

The Misunderstanding of Prayer

Prayer has never been a magic shield against bullets. Its purpose is not to suspend the laws of cause and effect or to erase human evil from the world. Prayer is communion with God. It strengthens those in despair, comforts the grieving, and sustains communities in their darkest hours.

Even Jesus prayed in His darkest hours. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He fell to the ground under the weight of the world’s sins. “Being in agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). His plea was simple yet profound: “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

And on the cross, enduring agony and injustice, He prayed still:

• “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
• “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
• “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

These prayers didn’t stop the suffering. They didn’t spare Him from pain. But they reveal the true nature of prayer: a lifeline to God, even in moments when evil seems to triumph. Prayer gave Christ strength, modeled forgiveness, and declared ultimate trust in the Father.

To mock prayer is to miss its meaning entirely. Prayer does not promise safety from every earthly tragedy—but it does promise that God hears, that He is present, and that evil does not have the last word.

Our Responsibility

If anything, tragedies like this should remind us of our responsibility. God entrusted us with freedom, but also with the duty to use it rightly: to confront evil, protect the innocent, and pursue justice.

And here’s a truth we should not forget: taking away our ability to defend ourselves from evil and tyranny does not eliminate either one. It only ensures we are powerless in the face of them. Free will means evil people will always exist. The question is whether the good will retain the freedom—and the means—to resist them.

The solution is not to ban guns, mock prayer or belittle faith. The solution is to live out the responsibility that comes with freedom, and to address the deeper rot in our culture—broken families, untreated mental illness, and the glorification of violence.

Closing Thought

God gave us free will, but He did not give us freedom from consequence. Every choice has a cost. The tragedy is not that prayer failed—it’s that humanity keeps choosing evil. Part of our earthly experience is to learn to recognize evil for what it is, confront it with courage, and overcome it rather than surrender to it. We are not called to let evil reign unchecked—we are called to rise above it, to resist it, and to guard what is good.