9/11: we remember

Where were you on that day?  I was sitting at my desk preparing for the next Sunday when the phone rang.  One of our men asked me to pray for his son who was missing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.  A few minutes later I walked across the street to our home where I watched the events of the day unfold … the second airplane hit the tower, the plane crashing in rural Pennsylvania as well the crumbling of both towers.

Our churches were full the following Sunday as fear gripped our nation, and even that very night a prayer meeting seeking God for help took place our church with many people seeking God for answers.  I shared these verses:

Psalm 91:5-10 (NLT)

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, 
nor the arrow that flies in the day. 6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, 
nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
 though ten thousand are dying around you, 
these evils will not touch you. 8 Just open your eyes,
 and see how the wicked are punished. 9 If you make the LORD your refuge, 
if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you;
 no plague will come near your home.

We have nothing to fear when God is our hope and our help.  He has everything in His hands.  Yes, life and death are in His control.  Not ours.  Our success and our understanding are also in His plan for us. 

I don’t have a clue why God would allow such terrible things to happen, but I do know that it is situations such as 9/11 that draw us closer to God and allow us to tell others about God.  Remembering what happened that day will bring us to the same place. 

Remember those who lost their lives on that difficult day.  Remember those who served, sharing and gave to help those who hurt and lost.  Remember the families of both.  Remember that God cared then, and God cares now.  We will not forget.  We remember. 

The pain of 9/11 reminds us that we serve a compassionate and loving God who holds us when disease or disaster strikes.  No darkness, no destruction, no pain can compare to the greatness of our God.  May we allow this 9/11, 11 years later to help us lean on God and to remember how good God was and is and will be in the days to come.