September 11th...

This morning I was driving my kids to the first day of their homeschool enrichment program. We usually listen to one of the Christian stations and it always warms my heart when they comment on songs they love and ask me to turn it up so they can sing. Today, being September 11^th, the dialogue over media airwaves is dominated by remembrances of this day. The station DJ spoke of this day and then played a clip of a sermon that Billy Graham gave several days after the towers fell. It is well worth the time to listen to him speak God' truth, reminding us that He is the God of comfort, that He reigns over and above all evil we see in the world. On this day we saw evil. It changed the world as we knew it, one of those days in history where you can remember exactly where you were when you heard, and then saw the reality, almost not able to comprehend what was happening, our minds struggling to even fathom it.

D didn't remember at first what that date signified, so to all of my kids, I reminded them. I couldn't even finish explaining it without the tears coming. In part, the tears stemmed from the great tragedy of that day. But they also came from remnants and reminders of heroism and resilience and God's presence in the midst of great darkness. I will not forget that when the towers fell, left visible in the mass of steel and rubble, a cross stood. Some would call it random. I would not.

Last fall we were in New York City. We visited Ground Zero, we saw the cavernous fountains bordered by thousands of names, we viewed the new Freedom Tower than can only partially make up for the skyline void where two great towers once stood--the Freedom Tower's mere presence a reminder of what stood in its place. It was sobering. 

We also toured St. Paul's Chapel, the church which stood closest to the Twin Towers. Not one window was shattered on this church when the towers fell. Not one. It became a place of refuge and refueling for fire fighters, aid workers, and all who served.

It was not my favorite "outing" in New York, but I don't want to live in a fairy land (well, maybe I do...). We have to face the reality of the world in which we live. This includes unspeakable, heartbreaking evil. But, while facing this evil, we need to look vertically to a God who reigns. Great evil should force us to engage with who God is. The Great I AM. A God of justice, mercy, tenderness, comfort, peace, so many things.

I write these words to neither be simplistic nor insensitive to how incomprehensible life can be. I know. I truly know. I have not lived in an ivory tower nor am I surrounded by a community of friends and family immune to the blows life brings. We don't have to “get” Him, but trust that He wins. All will be made right.

On this day, remember. On this day, pray. Pray for those who mourn, pray for those who protect and serve us, pray for those who plot evil, that they may be transformed by Christ. Pray for peace to rest in God's sovereign hand whatever comes, knowing He is with us. And pray that we can persevere in faith in spite of all that is set against God in this world. He is active and moving. He does not sit passively. His Word is true.

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P.S. I have read many biographies and autobiographies about and by Muslim background believers. Several have been written by men who were raised in or joined terrorist organizations. I would highly recommend these reads. They are extremely relevant in the world today and above that, they have given me hope. No hurdle is too big for God. He has claimed these men as His own.

The Son of Hamas by Mosab HassanYousef—His father was a founding member and popular leader of Hamas/Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine...his story.

Once An Arafat Man: The True Story of How A PLO Sniper Found A New Life by Tass Saada—He was a Palestinian refugee growing up in the Middle East who ran away to fight for Arafat, becoming one of his snipers. His story of Christ's transformation of his life.

And again, Billy Graham's sermon in the days following 9/11, worth your time.