Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes;
I will never forget. Even though I admit it is easy to forget. Honestly, it is.
Today marks the anniversary of that horrible, terrible, dreadful day we know at 9-11. Thousands lost their lives that day in New York City, in a field in Pennsylvania and in our nation’s capital. It was a sad and difficult day for our nation.
I was sitting at my new desk having recently become the pastor of a rural church in Virginia when the phone rang. A frantic father asks me to pray that his son is found. His son worked in the Pentagon near where the plane crashed.
His son was found and was not hurt a short time later. Praise the Lord. Many were not that blessed on this fateful day.
I got up from the desk and hurriedly made my way the 100 yards away to our living room where I watched the first tower fall and then the second. My wife was at the Christian school where she taught. Our daughters were at school only a mile away. This was a difficult day.
In the other direction were many country roads. Most of them are paved in Virginia unlike the ones we recently left behind in Georgia. One such road led to the house of a sweet family I had recently met. This day, September 11, 2001, they lost their son in law who was a fireman in NYC. This was a day many will remember because of the scare it left on our hearts.
I didn’t lose any family. In fact my family lived in totally opposite directions from the path of terror that 9-11 took, but this day touched our nation and the world.
For that reason I will never forget. I pray for those this day hit hard. I pray for our nation to cry out to God and to see where His grace is so very much needed. I pray for those who are hurting.
To be honest with you, this post has taken an abrupt turn. I knew that I would share about not forgetting and about 9-11, but I didn’t know that it would be from a heart warmed by brokenness.
I recently learned through the plentiful posts about a young pastor that took his own life. His name was Jarrid Wilson. I have seen him at a conference or two but never met him. I had read and enjoyed some of the things he passionately shared. This pastor even started a non-profit organization and was a spokesman for those battling depression and thoughts of suicide.
Jarrid took his own like. Jarrid was a pastor.
This year I shared a very difficult sermon about mental health, and it is my belief that we in the church and who choose to follow Christ need to lift our heads and our hearts to the crisis of mental health. It is not just a problem other people have. It really does hit close to home.
We must address this issue. Remember that God is close to the broken hearted. I have battled depression, and I don’t understand a lot about it. What I do understand is that my heart aches for Juli Wilson and their two sons. No answers. We need God’s grace.
Never forget. We must not forget the horror of September 11, 2001. We must not forget the pain around the corner or even in our own lives. God hasn’t forgotten. He loves. He cares. He loves and cares for you and for all who are hurting.
Never forget. We need His grace.
Psalm 34:18 NLT
The Lord is close to the broken hearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
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