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As I reflect on what happened 10 years ago tomorrow, I have a range of emotions: intense sorrow, horror, and pain for all the lives lost, but also immense pride for the tremendous bravery that was displayed that awful day.
My memory of that day is that it was a beautiful day in Sarasota, Florida where I live. I remember the President was coming to town to speak to children at Emma E Booker Elementary School. Shortly after 9 am I got a call from my husband telling me to turn on the TV. I watched in horror at what was happening in New York, and then in Washington. I was scared and nervous for all Americans. I was worried about my own children and husband because I knew the President was in our town. Would the terrorists be sending a plane to Sarasota to try and kill the President? There were so many, many emotions that day and in the days after as we all sat riveted to our TV screens watching everything unfold before our eyes. History in the making. Unbelievable and unthinkable history.
But as I look back now, ten years later, I want to focus and remember the heroics of that day. I want to remember how we, as Americans, came together as a nation in the days and months after those horrific attacks by those cowardly terrorists. There will be many memorials this weekend to those who lost their lives and those are very important.
It's essential to pay tribute to all the innocent victims, the brave heroes of flight 93, and all of the firefighters and police who charged into the chaos to help save lives in NYC and Washington, many losing their lives. Even many regular citizens who, in the midst of all the destruction, found it within themselves to reach out to others, often forgetting their own safety and risking their own lives to help their fellow citizens.
We need to honor them and thank them for their sacrifices, but we also need to remember the blessings that came, even in the midst of all that evil. Blessings you say? Are you crazy? What good could have possibly come out of all that? What blessings could have come through all that loss and destruction? Where was God anyway on that terrible day? I believe that God was crying that day, just like all of us were.
But, in the midst of the horror of that day, I can think of some blessings that I want to share. One blessing I can think of immediately is that the attacks happened in the early morning, not in the middle of the afternoon, when the Twin Towers would have most likely been completely full of workers. As terrible as the losses were, the loss of life could have been much greater if the offices had been completely full, and for that we should all be thankful. I read that when completely full, those Twin Towers held over 50,000 workers. I am thankful that those Towers weren't full. What a tragedy that would have been if we loss all those lives.
Another blessing from the day is the brave passengers of flight 93. They learned from phone calls to family members on the ground about the chaos that was happening in Washington and NYC. Having an idea that their hijacked plane was headed for another Capitol Landmark, they overtook the plane, drove it into the ground in Shankesville, Pa. and averted what could have been another catastrophe in Washington with the loss of many more lives. If the terrorists had attacked the Capitol or the White House, our government might have been abolished for many months or even years and our country might have gone into complete anarchy. That was an immense blessing in my book. A tragic loss of life, yes, but also a blessing.
Remember when the members of Congress stood on the steps of the capital and sang "God Bless America" in the days following the attacks? We need to remember that awesome show of unity in our country, when we stopped to thank God for this awesome country that we have the privilege to live in. You may not think that is a big deal, but have you ever before or after seen such a strong showing of love of God and country by our members of Congress? We were all coming together as a country and that was a blessing.
Members of Congress break into singing "God Bless America"
I want to remember people reaching out to help others grieving along with them. I want to remember the pictures of the firefighters covered with debris, doing what they could to help their own or others in need.
We came together as a nation during and after the attacks. We would not let the terrorists break us then and we should not they them break us now. We are a proud God-fearing Nation, one that was built on Christian principles. That was a blessing. We were reaching out to each other with God's love.
St. Pauls Church in Manhattan offered refuge, rest and food
for the body and souls of the rescue workers
We saw that wonderful, caring side of us after 9/11/01. It came shining through in the days after the attacks. Many people who never prayed or went to church returned to seek solace and called out to the Lord to help find their loved ones, called for protection for the workers and everyone suffering the tremendous losses after the attack. We came together as a nation. There were blood bank opened up all over the country and citizens were giving blood to help in anyway they could. We were donating money, and sending food to help the workers. People from all over the country were leaving their jobs and volunteering to help in the cleanup at the Pentagon and at the WTC site. There were concerts held with big name musicians from all over the world coming to NYC and help to raise money and bring the hurting together. We are a caring nation and in the worst of times, you often see us at our very best. In bad times, us Americans pull together. That's a fact.
So, to the question...Where was God on the day of the 9/11 attacks? I believe He was watching, as He always is. And his was crying right along with us.
But,'s here's the thing to remember. God gives us free will. It is our choice to live with Him in our life, or not. He is a gentlemen. He does not overtake our lives. Unfortunately, we live in an evil world, that is ruled by Satan. This world is not God's Kingdom. That will come in time when Jesus returns to earth. Many people in this world are ruled by evil and by Satan and they let that take over their lives. That was very evident on Sept. 11, 2001. God doesn't want that for any of us. He want us to turn from evil and come home to Him. Ephesians 6 says:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
What CAN we do, you ask? We can PRAY. We can pray for God's protection for our country, our leaders, those military men and women protecting us all over the world, and our family and friends. We can fall down on our knees and pray with softened hearts to your will.
We can turn from evil and embrace love. We can repent of our own sins and turn back to God Almighty before it is too late. I will be spending an hour praying tomorrow for just that. Please join me in praying for renewal for our country and for peace to be with the family members of all those lost on 9/11/01. May God
Bless you all.
My verse for today is in Red.
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