Following Sunday night’s horrific shooting in Las Vegas, Bible Gateway, an online Bible provider, has revealed the four verses that people are most likely to turn to in the wake of mass shootings and other violent attacks.
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Bible Gateway explored the impact of Sunday night’s shooting as well as the effects of 18 other violent incidents over the past decade ranging from Sandy Hook in 2012 to Virginia Tech in 2007 to see how each event impacted Bible reading.
And the site had plenty of data to explore, considering that it has 150-million visitors per year, according to Christianity Today.
In the end, Bible Gateway’s findings, which were based on search habits, were quite fascinating. Based on the results, the four most searched and read verses after these events are John 16:33, Psalm 34:18, Romans 12:19 and Psalm 11:15:
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.
In addition to these verses, there was reportedly also an uptick in end times scripture reading following some of the country’s worst mass shootings.
Read more about these verses and the penchant for reading and sharing them here.
(H/T: Christianity Today)