Prayers are requested for the families of Fresno County Sheriff's Deputy Joel Wahlenmaier and Reedley Police Officer Javier Bejar.  Both lost their lives Thursday morning in a gun battle with a barricaded suspect in eastern Fresno County.  The suspect later took his own life.  Deputy Mark Harris received injuries in the exchange of gun fire and was released from the hospital.  There are many individuals that were involved in this fierce gun battle that are "heroes", although they may not feel like it right now.  Their names have been kept quiet from the public, but the Lord knows who they are and they too need our prayers as they cope with the loss of one of their own and recover from the effects of the incident.  There has been nothing but good mentioned about both Wahlenmaier and Bejar and this has led to a question being asked by Christians and non-Christians alike on how God can take such a good person away from us when there are plenty of other evil people to take instead.  There will be many who will draw closer to the Lord and some who might turn their back on Him in anger.

First, realize that we do live in a fallen world with evil all around us.  We see it everyday, but don't often pay attention to it unless it strikes close to us.  This fallen world is a result of free-will.  God does love us and wishes that we would return his love and that is a very important part of our "free-will".  To be forced to love, is not love at all, but rather enslavement.  God did not need or want "robots" to serve and worship him.  It is a choice made by every person, on their own.With that being said, God did not create the circumstances that lead to the deaths of these heroes.  He may have allowed the events and both of these heroes died within God's mighty provision for reasons we may not understand until the day we stand in front of our Heavenly Father. 

Second, in John 12:24-25, Jesus said, " Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat.  But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.  In the same way, if anyone holds on to life just as it is destroys that life.  But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal."These heroes may have been a light and encouragement to those closest to them as they lived their lives.  Now, through their death to the world, the Lord has the ability to use them to reach people all over Fresno County, California and the United States to draw lost souls to Himself and other believers even closer to Him.  They are grains of wheat that will likely sprout and reproduce themselves many times over.