Psalm 77:3
I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.
Remember when our country was brutally attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001? Remember when lives were disrupted with the death of so many that day? Remember when panic filled the country and people turned to God? Remember when churches were filled and bursting at the seams to ask God why to find answers and relief?
It seems like such a long time ago. But memories of that day still haunt me. I remember when I heard about the first plane crashing into the towers. I thought to myself, like most I suppose, that it was an accident. Perhaps a pilot was lost or incapacitated. Not until the second plane hit, did I realize this was no accident. This was intentional.
As we watched and waited, rumors began to circulate. The State Department building in Washington was evacuated. Other offices began to flood the streets of D.C. for fear that a plane or other planes were on the way to the capitol and the White House.
I remember looking out the window watching the skies to see if a plane was heading to our building, a U.S. Government telecommunications office. If an attack on the nation was truly imminent, targets like communication and government command and control are obvious places to hit.
But as time went on and the towers in New York fell, we heard of a plane hitting the Pentagon. It was no joke, and we were all unsure what was coming next.
I remember being told to go home and wait. I got on my motorcycle and rode as fast as I could. I remember how nice the day was, and kept thinking, how could such a nice day like this be filled with so much tragedy.
I remember getting home and rushing into the house to turn on the TV and see what was happening. When I saw the destruction in New York and the Pentagon, I was furious. Just a few years before, I was stationed at the Navy Annex just up the hill from the Pentagon. It was unreal and surreal at the same time.
I remember hearing about another plane going down in Shanksville, PA. It wasn't know then, but a few passengers took control and forced the plane to crash dive in that farm field. It was later determined that the plane was targeting the Capitol and or the White House.
I remember not long afterwards, as things began to settle down and the skies again were filled with aircraft, the churches that were once full, have gone silently empty. People returned to their routines, albeit a lot more cautiously than before the 11th of September. The years have passed, and many today still remember that tragic time in history. Unfortunately, many younger people today don't even know what happened on that fateful day.
No one was asking where God was anymore. Complacency soon ruled once again.
As we suffered through those days, and since then, we have been affected by other forms of terror like wars and COVID-19, which did a lot more damage to our nation. Not to diminish what happened on 9/11 - but it did have a dramatic affect on our way of life. Not only here in America, but around the entire world. And still - no one was asking where's God? I think a lot of people were blaming God, or thought God was unjustly punishing the world.
God is not a 'willy-nilly' kind of God. He doesn't sit in heaven with his hand on a remote and dishes out judgement on a whim. I may not have been a very good Christian back then, but I know God has been, and still is, in control and He is just. Because of our sin, that turned us away from Him, we deserve a lot more than a few planes attacking our homeland or a disease sweeping rampantly through our land.
Yet, there will be a day when God's fierce and final judgement will come upon the earth, that will pale in comparison to any tragic events we have see throughout history. He will settle the score with sin, once and for all, and King Jesus will reign forever!
Today, I stand firm in my faith in God. I know He allows things to happen to us to lead us back to Him and rely on His goodness - to help us see our way through the storms. We should always remember days like September 11, but we should always remember that God is still in control. He is still just. He is still good - and - He is still God!
Where's God? He's right here. It's time for all of us to remember Him!
Blessings in Christ Jesus,
Tom
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