--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One more, final question came from the…" description: "\"“One more, final question came from the audience on my last night in Newtown, and it was the one I most did not want to hear: “Will God protect my chil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/philip-yancey-840_children_one-more-final-question-came-from-the-au_276212.png" --- # One more, final question came from the audience on my last… ![“One more, final question came from the audience on my last night in Newtown, and it was the one I most did not want to hear: “Will God protect my child?” I stayed silent for what seemed like minutes. More than anything I wanted to answer with authority, “Yes! Of course God will protect you. Let me…” quote by Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/philip-yancey-840_children_one-more-final-question-came-from-the-au_276212.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/philip-yancey-840_children_one-more-final-question-came-from-the-au_276212.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/philip-yancey-840_children_one-more-final-question-came-from-the-au_276212.png) > ““One more, final question came from the audience on my last night in Newtown, and it was the one I most did not want to hear: “Will God protect my child?” I stayed silent for what seemed like minutes. More than anything I wanted to answer with authority, “Yes! Of course God will protect you. Let me read you some promises from the Bible.” I knew, though, that behind me on the same platform twenty-six candles were flickering in memory of victims, proof that we have no immunity from the effects of a broken planet. My mind raced back to Japan, where I heard from parents who had lost their children to a tsunami in a middle school, and forward to that very morning when I heard from parents who had lost theirs to a shooter in an elementary school. At last I said, “No, I’m sorry, I can’t promise that.” None of us is exempt. We all die, some old, some tragically young. God provides support and solidarity, yes, but not protection—at least not the kind of protection we desperately long for. On this cursed planet, even God suffered the loss of a Son.”” [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges that divine protection is limited; suffering and loss affect everyone regardless of faith. **In simple terms:** God cannot guarantee safety from tragedy. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and seek community support. Themes faith suffering mortality compassion Mood somber reflective Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - disaster response - school safety meetings - faith discussions Key Concepts theodicy human fragility spiritual honesty Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile faith with unavoidable loss? - What role does community play when divine protection feels absent? A Different Perspective The claim may overlook instances where believers feel protected or find comfort in faith. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Elementary school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elementary-school/) [God provides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-provides/) [Middle school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-school/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [George MacDonald gives me renewed strength during times of trouble--times when I have seen people tempted to deny God--when he says, "The Son of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/george-macdonald-gives-me-renewed-strength-during-times-of-trouble/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Remember this: all suffering comes to an end. And whatever you suffer authentically, God has suffered from it first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/remember-this-all-suffering-comes-to-an-end-and-whatever-you-suffer/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [The Son of God suffered unto death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like His.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/the-son-of-god-suffered-unto-death-not-that-men-might-not-suffer-but/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [We might experience bad things in our lives. But if we worship a God who suffered more than us, this is our highest example.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mosab-hassan-yousef/we-might-experience-bad-things-in-our-lives-but-if-we-worship-a-god/) [Mosab Hassan Yousef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mosab-hassan-yousef/) > [Tremble with awe, O men! The insults God suffered for the sake of our salvation you too must endure! God is slapped on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/symeon-the-new-theologian/tremble-with-awe-o-men-the-insults-god-suffered-for-the-sake-of-our/) [Symeon the New Theologian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/symeon-the-new-theologian/) > [Throughout history no one has suffered more than God. He has suffered because his own children fell away from him. Ever since the Fall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/throughout-history-no-one-has-suffered-more-than-god-he-has-suffered/) [Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/) > [I cannot protect my child from everything, I don't care if it is sex, drink or drugs, all I can do is teach her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-le/i-cannot-protect-my-child-from-everything-i-don-t-care-if-it-is-sex/) [Michel'le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-le/) > [You love your child, and you want to protect your child more than anything on this planet, and yet, by the time they're 17,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-nielsen/you-love-your-child-and-you-want-to-protect-your-child-more-than/) [Connie Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-nielsen/) > [Mothers instinct...Protect her child at all cost...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mothers-instinct-protect-her-child-at-all-cost/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A basic moral imperative is in play here. If you can protect a child, you must.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/a-basic-moral-imperative-is-in-play-here-if-you-can-protect-a-child/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [There is no length that is too great to go to in order to protect your child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-bratt/there-is-no-length-that-is-too-great-to-go-to-in-order-to-protect/) [Benjamin Bratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-bratt/) > [You want to protect your child from pain, and what you get instead is life, and grace; and though theologians insist that grace is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-want-to-protect-your-child-from-pain-and-what-you-get-instead-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Filter a website, and you protect a student for a day. Educate students about online safety in the real world environment, and you protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-harris/filter-a-website-and-you-protect-a-student-for-a-day-educate-students/) Christopher Harris > [“It’s hard for a parent to accept that you can’t protect your child from everything.’ ‘It’s hard for a child to accept it too,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/it-s-hard-for-a-parent-to-accept-that-you-can-t-protect-your-child/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“you could only protect your child through watchfulness and love, that you must tend a child as you tended a garden, fertilizing, weeding, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/you-could-only-protect-your-child-through-watchfulness-and-love-that/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Philip Yancey > [“God reproduces and lives out His image in millions of ordinary people like us. It is a supreme mystery. We are called to bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/god-reproduces-and-lives-out-his-image-in-millions-of-ordinary-people/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Love deems this world worth rescuing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/love-deems-this-world-worth-rescuing/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [People instinctively know the difference between something done with a profit motive and something done with a love motive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/people-instinctively-know-the-difference-between-something-done-with/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [In a nutshell, the Bible from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22 tells the story of a God reckless with desire to get his family back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/in-a-nutshell-the-bible-from-genesis-3-to-revelation-22-tells-the/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/you-can-know-the-law-by-heart-without-knowing-the-heart-of-it/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“I have marveled at, and sometimes openly questioned, the self-restraint God has shown throughout history, allowing the Genghis Khans and the Hitlers and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-have-marveled-at-and-sometimes-openly-questioned-the-self-restraint/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [C. 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For those alienated from the church, that approach no longer has the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-preach-sermons-write-books-on-apologetics-conduct-city-wide/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [I begin with confession not in order to feel miserable, rather to call to mind a reality I often ignore. When I acknowledge where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-begin-with-confession-not-in-order-to-feel-miserable-rather-to-call/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus reserved his hardest words for the hidden sins of hypocrisy, pride, greed and legalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-reserved-his-hardest-words-for-the-hidden-sins-of-hypocrisy/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“What greater gift could Christians give to the world than the forming of a culture that upholds grace and forgiveness?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/what-greater-gift-could-christians-give-to-the-world-than-the-forming/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/for-us-who-are-christians-the-death-and-resurrection-of-jesus-christ/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) [Explore all 351 Philip Yancey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. 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Let me read you some promises from the Bible.” I knew, though, that behind me on the same platform twenty-six candles were flickering in memory of victims, proof that we have no immunity from the effects of a broken planet. My mind raced back to Japan, where I heard from parents who had lost their children to a tsunami in a middle school, and forward to that very morning when I heard from parents who had lost theirs to a shooter in an elementary school. At last I said, “No, I’m sorry, I can’t promise that.” None of us is exempt. We all die, some old, some tragically young. God provides support and solidarity, yes, but not protection—at least not the kind of protection we desperately long for. 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