In Our Time of Trouble, We Remember

 

“The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble;”

—Psalm 9:9

This past Saturday, it was twenty years since that fateful day on September 11, 2001. Almost everyone in the United States who was alive and old enough to be aware of what was happening will remember exactly where they were when they received the news that our nation was under attack from terrorists.

As Christians, we have a very different context in which to process these events. As horrible as they are—and they are ghastly—they are not unexpected. The Bible tells us that as time progresses toward the end of the age, wars will increase and hostility will become more common. Hatred will abound. Violence will increase.

This awareness does not decrease our horror and sadness at such events. It rightfully pushes to seek to see the face of God in the midst of such tragedy. Where is God? Where is His hand of mercy?

The Psalmist well understood such questions. He offers these words of comfort from Psalm 9:9-10:

The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble; and those who know your name will put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Even in the midst of horrific occurrences, God is present. He will help us. He will come to our aid. We need to cling to the reality of God’s faithful Presence.

I was thinking, as I began to write this blog post, about the fact that the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941. By December 7, 1961—twenty years later—the world had changed almost unimaginably. The United States and her Allies had defeated Germany and Japan. The first two atomic bombs had been dropped, thus shortening the war by months, if not years. We had entered another war in Korea—although it was not called a war by many; just a “police action.” The Supreme Allied Commander of World War II was now our nation’s President. Thousands of soldiers who came home from World War II and the Korean War had gone to college on the GI Bill, had married, and had begun to have families. In fact, in December of 1961, I was fourteen years old and a student in ninth grade at the Floyd C. Fretz Junior High School.

Twenty years after the events in New York City, Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where do we find our nation today? That’s worth thinking about as we remember that fateful day twenty years ago.

As you listen to the audio clip I have linked to below, I hope you will be prompted to remember that God is ever-present. With Him, nothing changes. He is the stable, loving, caring, merciful God who extends His hand toward us at every moment. As you listen to the clip, let us vow to always remember those who died on September 11, 2001. And, let us remember the God who loves us with His unfailing, undying love.

 

 

 

Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, September 11, 2015

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