Remembering 9/11
Every year when 9/11 falls on a Wednesday, I have a decision to make. Today is the anniversary of one of the worst days I experienced in my lifetime. And, I must decide whether to write about it in this blog post. Once again, I decided to address 9/11.
I am always grateful when this day comes and goes without another terrorist attack. Our enemies are drawn to certain memorable dates, like flies are drawn to death. On every 9/11, I expect them to attempt another attack, and every year, I breathe a sigh of relief when the day ends without serious harm to our nation.
Why should 9/11 cause us to worry?
An op-ed by Bruce Riedel for Brookings explained the continued threat to this date each year. Riedel wrote: “Al Qaeda has every reason to be obsessed with 9/11. The plot that toppled the World Trade Center towers and damaged the Pentagon cost al Qaeda less than half a million dollars to pull off, according the 9/11 Commission report. The property damage alone cost about $100 billion, and estimates of the total economic damage inflicted by the attack range up to $2 trillion. The cost of the two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that flowed out of the 9/11 tragedy has been estimated recently by Brown University scholars at about $4 trillion. Al Qaeda pulled off the world’s cheapest global game changer ever on Sept. 11, 2001, and we are still living with the consequences and costs.”
The article, written in 2011, identified an unsuccessful terrorist attempt on 9/11 in 2006 and another in 2008. The financial impact he reported would contain significantly higher numbers if written today. Our enemies are still drawn to this date each year, hoping and planning to cause more harm to our nation. Today, because of our nation’s continued commitment to Israel, the open border policies, and those factors becoming election issues, there are reasons to feel threatened.
Americans have a right, even an obligation, to worry about this day each year. Yet, Jesus encouraged his disciples, saying, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1).
How can we acknowledge the concerns of this life and not allow those concerns to “trouble” our hearts and minds?
What did you worry about when you heard the news that day?
When I watch the video footage from 9/11, my mind is flooded with memories. I was simply catching up on the news and enjoying a second cup of coffee when the morning show went live, and they began reporting the first tower was on fire. I watched the video in real-time as the second plane eerily entered the second tower. That’s when we all knew we were being attacked.
I called Jim and told him to turn on the television. I tried to reach my parents, who were on vacation in Pennsylvania, only miles from the downed plane there. My mom still remembers watching their hotel parking lot fill up with members of the FBI and trucks that were unloading the body bags.
I had two sons in high school and wondered how these events would impact their futures. If our nation went to war, would they enlist or be drafted?
I went to the bank and the grocery store that day. I didn’t know if it mattered, but I wanted to do what I could to protect my family.
I mostly prayed and begged God to forgive our sins and watch over our country. I prayed, not knowing if America was “ one nation under God.” I prayed, knowing our nation had made many choices that didn’t deserve God’s favor.
Do we deserve God’s favor and protection today?
Many politicians continue to end their speeches by saying, “May God bless America.” Have you noticed the many who no longer do? We have passed laws in this country that are fundamentally opposed to the laws of Scripture. In essence, our citizens are being asked to approve ideas and choices that God’s divine character cannot approve of and will not bless.
The prophets taught the people what God would require of them. The prophets taught the people that God would surely discipline their choices. The prophets warned the people to listen, to think, to change, and to repent. Some did, but most did not.
So, God created a new covenant relationship with people through his Son, Jesus. His blessings were no longer promised to a nation of people. His new covenant was offered to everyone in the world. His new covenant was with “whoever believed” in his provision of salvation through Christ (John 3:16).
In 2030 . . .
The next time 9/11 falls on a Wednesday, it will be 2030 and I’ll be in my seventies. I wonder what I will say on that day. I wonder if I’ll have another 9/11 to talk about. I wonder if I will still be writing this blog post in 2030.
What I do know is that, given the opportunity, I will still say what I want to say today.
We should be reminded of our highest calling every year on 9/11. A LOT of people died that day. Most people were significantly impacted by that day. Some of the victims went to heaven, while others lost their opportunity forever that day. I’m sure there were Christians who were thankful they had shared their faith with someone who had died. I’m also sure there were Christians who wished they had taken the opportunity to witness but had not.
When 9/11 falls on a Wednesday, I will use this blog post to remind us that there is no higher calling in this life than sharing our faith. We should care about people’s lives, feelings, and happiness, and we need to care even more about their souls.
It isn’t a pleasant thought, but it is necessary: If today is another tragic 9/11 that makes history, would you have regrets? Today is a good day to prayerfully consider that question and ask for God’s perfect answers. Today is a good day to ask God to redeem our nation and forgive our sins.
Will you take that time with God now and allow his Spirit’s voice to direct your life? Today is 9/11 and God still wants to redeem this date for his glory. How will he use your life to make a difference because you have prayed?
May God bless this day, and may God bless our nation.
