Grieving Charlie Kirk: How to cling to God in the face of evil

“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).

Why we should read this reminder: God is sovereign over suffering and, in His time, repurposes unspeakable evil for redemptive good. The question of evil appears to be eternal, but evil did, in fact, have a beginning. And just as evil had a beginning, it will have an ending. Evil is not eternal.

Evil may wound, but it cannot win. Pain may overwhelm, but it cannot overcome the resurrection hope we have in Jesus.

On Wednesday, my heart was shattered. Charlie Kirk and I had been texting late Sunday night, finalizing details for his surprise appearance at our Prestonwood Biblical Worldview Conference. Just hours later, our brother and friend was ushered immediately into the presence of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:8). His life was cut short in an act of unspeakable evil. He was brutally murdered and assassinated.

When we are struck by evil atrocity, our hearts cry out: Why, Lord? We feel the weight of grief pressing down, and worry and fear become destabilizing forces. But in these moments, we need a deeper anchor for our souls.

George Müller, the great 19th-century prayer warrior, once said: “My faith is the same faith which is found in every believer. It has been increased little by little for the last 26 years. Many times, when I would have gone insane from worry, I was at peace because my soul believed the truth of God’s promises.”

Müller’s words remind us of a vital truth: Peace is not found in explanations but in God’s promises.

Worry, even fear, is destabilizing so many of us right now. We need a steady anchor for our souls to stabilize our emotions and help us put one foot in front of the other today.

Oh, how we all need the reminder that our God weeps with us today. Through His Son — and now through His Spirit — God has entered our world of suffering. In the midst of heartbreak and loss, He offers His presence, His peace, His hope, His joy, and the promise of eternal life, even when life makes no sense.

Evil does not make sense, so there is no spiritual value in trying to understand or make evil make sense. Evil is a disruption in all the good God has created for us.

RELATED: Charlie Kirk: Loving father, fearless communicator, happy warrior — 1993-2025

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We also do not have the right words. That's OK. Scripture reminds us, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26).

In light of this, I want to share four biblical anchors that can steady our souls as we grieve Charlie’s loss and face the problem of pain and evil.

1. God allows and is in control of all my challenges

When Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and cast into prison, he suffered unjustly for 13 long years (Genesis 39). Was he in God’s will? Yes. Was God still sovereign? Absolutely.

Only years later, standing before his brothers who had betrayed him, Joseph declared, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). What was meant to destroy Joseph, God used to save a nation and preserve the line of promise that would lead to the Messiah.

The same God is at work in our pain today. That situation in your life that feels unbearable, even senseless — He is still in control. He is not absent. He is bringing good out of evil in ways we cannot yet see.

Please join me in praying for Charlie’s precious wife, children, and family. We cling to the promise that “the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). And we take comfort in the truth that “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

2. When evil strikes, we live on promises — not explanations

Ultimately, there is little spiritual value or peace from explanations. Explanations rarely heal a broken heart. In fact, answers alone fall flat in the face of evil. But the promises of God never fail. As seekers of truth, we will find the assailants and pray they are brought to justice, but as a pastor, I know more peace will still be needed when “those questions” are answered.

To experience peace, we must learn to live by faith in the promises and character of God. No one lives by having faith in explanations. All of the faith heroes of the scriptures (many who greatly suffered) lived by faith in the promises of God. Faith is taking God at his word, not asking him for an explanation. That doesn’t mean we cannot ask God, “Why?” But in my experience, God wants us to trust him in the moment, rather than ask for an explanation.

When we suffer, we realize how insignificant our lives are apart from living them in the will of God.

Here’s the key when evil strikes: Living by faith means obeying God’s word in spite of feelings, circumstances, or consequences. It means holding on to God’s truth no matter how heavy the burden or how dark the day, knowing that He is working out His perfect plan.

It means living by promises and not by explanations.

We may never know why Charlie’s life was taken so horrifically. Evil does not make sense, nor should we expect it to. Our hope is not in explanations but in the unchanging goodness of God.

3. Suffering can confirm my faith

Suffering strips away our illusions of self-sufficiency and reminds us that apart from God, our lives are fragile and fleeting.

Think of Abraham, who was asked to sacrifice Isaac — the very son of promise (Genesis 22). That moment of unimaginable testing revealed the depth of his trust in God. And in the right time, God provided a ram.

In the same way, when trials overwhelm us, we are given the opportunity to see God as our true provider. Suffering, as painful as it is, refines our faith, anchors our hope, and draws us closer to the Lord who holds our days.

When we suffer, we realize how insignificant our lives are apart from living them in the will of God.

When we walk through suffering, we are reminded how small and fragile our lives are apart from the will of God. Trials strip away illusions and reveal that the true value of life is not found in the temporary, but in what is eternal.

4. Someday everything will become clear, and God’s ultimate purpose will be accomplished

Biblical heroes like Abraham, Joseph, and Job did not understand their trials while they were in the midst of them. Clarity only came later, when they could look back and see the hand of God at work in the crisis.

Even our Lord Jesus entered the depths of sorrow.

On the night before His crucifixion, He confessed to His disciples, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38). In agony He prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). Only hours later, He would endure such profound abandonment that He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

In our darkest moments, we discover this unshakable truth: Jesus understands, Jesus remains, and Jesus redeems.

This week, with the heartbreaking news of Charlie’s murder, we feel that same weight of sorrow and confusion. Like the great saints of old, we don’t yet have clarity on why such atrocities happen. But we cling to the same promises they did.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

And we hold fast to God’s unchanging word: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Charlie loved Jesus and was unashamed of the gospel. Today, we grieve his loss, but not as those without hope. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we know this is not the end. The God who provided for Abraham, who redeemed Joseph’s suffering, who restored Job, and who raised Jesus from the grave will one day wipe away every tear.

Until that day, we trust His heart, we rest in His presence, and we lean on His promises.

And God promises us still: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

In our darkest moments, we discover this unshakable truth: Jesus understands, Jesus remains, and Jesus redeems.

A final word

In this season of heartbreak, let us cling to Christ, our unshakable anchor. Evil may wound, but it cannot win. Pain may overwhelm, but it cannot overcome the resurrection hope we have in Jesus.

Until that day when faith becomes sight, we will trust His heart, rest in His presence, and hold tightly to His promises.