When the story of our time is written, and if America ever does turn back from its path toward destruction, it may be that historians will point to June 17, 2015 and the days that followed as the moment when that change began.

The whole country knows the horror that descended on Charleston on that Wednesday evening.  A very evil twenty-one year old man, a racist filled with acidic hatred, looking to start a race war in America, entered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.  He sat down with the dozen or so Christian believers who had gathered to study the Bible and to pray.  They welcomed him—in the same way I have done scores of times when a stranger joined a Bible study I was leading.  After an hour, he pulled out the .45 caliber handgun he had stuffed in his belt and proceeded to murder nine of them in cold blood.  The dead included the church’s remarkable pastor, Clementa Pinckney.

Then he calmly walked outside, got into his car, and drove away.

In the aftermath, many held their breaths in fear that Charleston would explode into violence like we have seen too often in Ferguson, MO, and New York, and Baltimore.   But it didn’t happen.  Oh, the race arsonists tried their best.  Al Sharpton hopped a fast plane to Charleston, but for once no one listened to his enmity.  This time there were expressions of love and statements of forgiveness, and the city—indeed, all of America--came together to stand as one, to grieve, to pray, to turn to God for solace in the face of evil.

There is a reason for this, and I suggest to you that what we have witnessed bears evidence that God has silently and powerfully heard the prayers of many millions of his people, that he would come to save us from ourselves.

First of all, one must recognize that this time when the bullets flew, they were not directed at some marginally criminal figure.  The sharp barks from the gun took the lives of people who were God’s own beloved people.  By every evidence, these nine slain victims were not followers of Christ in name only.  Take it from a veteran of the church: casual or nominal Christians do not go to Wednesday evening prayer meetings.  No, these were sincere believers, people whose lives had been touched by the grace of God.  These were people who loved Jesus.

One may ask why God did not protect them, why he did not touch the heart of Dylann Roof as he heard the gospel explained in that small group.  By Roof’s own admission, it almost happened.  He wavered, just as Judas must have wavered when Jesus spoke lovingly to him before he left on his mission of betrayal.  Perhaps it was because God, after he had ushered these nine souls into his eternal and living kingdom, planned to turn evil into good.  Perhaps it was because their purpose in life was to come together that night so that he might make them into martyrs with a witness far beyond anything they had been able to express in life.

Make no mistake, the targeting of Christians by the shooter was not by chance.  He had planned this invasion into sacred territory for six months.  He could have chosen any group of black people to do his evil deed.  He chose to do it against the followers of Christ. Why?  In John 8:44 Jesus told us how to identify the presence and work of the devil, the literal, personal, malignant being who hates God and his people.  Jesus said, “The devil…was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him …he is a liar and the father of lies.”  In other words, when we spot excessive killing or unrelenting falsehood, one can be sure the devil himself is present.  In this case we have the murder category.  Dylann Roof was the hand of Satan.  And the target was those who love God.

The murderer’s capture is another point of light.  Debbie Dills is a florist in Shelby, North Carolina, hundreds of miles from Charleston.  She saw the pictures of Roof and his car on Fox News early the next morning.  As she was driving to work she spotted him.  Debbie admits to being afraid, but she prayed for God’s help and then contacted the police.  She followed him for 35 minutes until police pulled him over and captured him. Debbie Dills is a Christian.  She is an ordinary person just doing what she did each day.  But she is a person with a strong and living faith in Jesus Christ.  She said afterward, “I’m not a hero.  I don’t want any credit.  God is the one who should get the glory.”

And back in Charleston, the families of the victims said, again and again, “I am grieving.  I am angry.  But there is no room for hate.  Love is the only way.”  And America heard.  Groups gathered to pray. The news photos show small bunches of believers with their arms around each other, their heads bowed in heart -broken prayer.  People gathered in their churches.  The gospel of Jesus Christ was proclaimed, and one after another of those interviewed by the national media spoke boldly of their faith in Christ.  Yes, God came to Charleston.  And he was there even as the bullets were being fired.  And in the hours after.

It is sad that some have jumped to politicize this evil event.  The President was among the first, using tragedy to leverage his agenda of gun control.  That is shameful.  Others were quick to blame conservatives or those who are of a mind with the victims.  That is reprehensible.  For we are witnessing a holy moment.  We should fall silent before it.  And perhaps the spirit that runs through Charleston will ignite the dormant faith of millions, and many will turn back to God.  Jesus said, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)  Oh, how we need rest in these sorrowful days!

Dr. Rick Perrin is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and Chairman of the Board of World Reformed Fellowship.  He writes a weekly blog called ReTHINK which may be accessed at www.rethinkingnews.wordpress.com. He may be contacted directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..