NEVER FORGET

Today is the seventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks which so profoundly changed the world.  We can never forget that we are at war with an unseen enemy, although as a nation we seem to be in denial.  We are anesteticizing (sp?) ourselves with materialism and hedonism.  Our enemy is not just the unseen terrorists who operate so covertly, but the spiritual forces that have always been at work in this world.  I am not taking a jab at any particular religion, these forces are advancing in many different ways.  The fear that we suppress over the events of 9/11 is as much a part of this as any ideology.  The only answer to this tangled web is God's mercy, grace, and love.  He loves each of us right where we are, whatever our struggles are today.  Whatever we did yesterday.  Whatever we are powerless to stop on our own tomorrow.  He is looking for those who will be humble and admit their need for Him -- not those who have it all figured out.  The only answer to the angst of our present age is His peace, which can only come from a relationship with Him through the death, burial, and resurrection of His son Jesus Christ.  There is no human that can offer it in and of themselves.

As I've said before, I am an east coast girl at heart.  I live here in the south, but I am linked to many, many people who lost loved ones or where caught up in the chaos and terror of that day.  My father in law saw the planes hit the towers from the street.  My husband's cousin escaped the huge dust cloud rolling down the street after exiting one of the towers at the last minute.  We know people who got out, who worked in other buildings and had to walk miles home to tell their loved ones they were OK because of the ensuing pandemonium.  Members of my family back east knew Todd Beamer through church.  A college friend's son's preschool teacher lost her husband that day on flight 93.  Some of my family members went to ground zero with the Salvation Army to help feed the workers.  Out of that experience, my nephew Sam gave up his personal goals and dreams to join the Marines.  He had two tours in Iraq because he understood what was happening and why it mattered for us to secure a safe zone in the middle east.   Two of my other nephews had tours in Iraq as well -- in fact all three of them were there at the same time for a season.   I could tell you more about the ripples coming from that day.

In Isaiah, God says his will give "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning".  There are many promises of His comfort throughout scripture.  He is a loving Father who wants to comfort and care for His children, but we have pushed Him away.  Alot of this is due to the unseen forces that we aren't even aware of operating in our own lives, confusing and deceiving us.  Father God knows this all too well, and in his tremendous mercy He sent his son Jesus to die in our place so we can be His again, as we were created to be.  God wants a relationship with us but it's ours to choose, He won't force us into it.  It because of this freewill choice that evil exists.  I don't want to get too philosophical on this blog, so let's just leave it at this point -- this is a heart issue, a mystery, but the proof of God's existence, of the spritual war we're in, of His love for us inspite of everything is REAL.  He hasn't asked us to check our brains at the door, there is much proof and evidence although it all comes down to TRUSTING.  This is HOPE, it is what we have to cling to as the times and world around us grows darker.  The darker it gets, the more His light shines!  I don't want to be cliche about that, but it's the trueth.   There is no shame in needing more than yourself, this is what you were created for.  God also promises to turn what the enemy (Satan) meant for evil to good.  We saw this in the weeks and months after 9/11 as our nation pulled together in unity for a time.

In Matthew, Jesus exposed the pharisees of his day (religeous leaders) and at the end of this He lamented over the nation of Isreal, saying  "Jerusalem, Jerusalem; who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling".  This is a declaration of his desire and intent to care for His people.  It applies to everyone, and I believe today it applies to his church.  Religeon won't change the world, it is RELATIONSHIP with Him that will prepare us for whatever lies ahead.  Yet we must pay attention to those He annoints with wisdom, as He did the prophets of old.  Leaders must walk in humility.  Read Matthew 24  if you want to know more about the signs of the end of this age.  I think we are seeing this come to pass in our time, although peril and evil have been around for ages.

A word about denial, which I think the US has basked in (not just us, it's in the heart of man and is seen in many other nations as well):  I like to use the analogy of an ostrich.  It sticks it's head in the sand and thinks it's hiding from it's enemies, but it's backside is even more exposed and therefore even more vulnerable.  I have done this myself as I think most of us have with regard to personal issues.  On a larger scale, I think this is the condition our nation finds ourselves in 7 years after the horrific, violating, overwhelming attacks of 9/11.  Denial won't make problems go away.  We are focusing, as a nation, on things that are secondary to the real issues I believe.

A brief closing thought about how politics tie in here -- no matter what party you lean toward, no man has all the answers.  No man (or woman, for that matter) can save us.  There is no substitute for a heart submitted to the will of God.  Please vote, and before you do carefully consider why you are making your choice.  Pray about it, find out what God has to say about leaders and see who most closely follows His words.  Don't vote out of bitterness, that will only strengthen the chains that bind us to this current turmoil.  Remember, there is no leader who will get it all right and no man/woman is perfect.  Charisma can be dangerous.  Our leaders in the highest places of government, church, business, etc.  are equally in need as each person on the street.  There is only one Messiah, the promised one who came to take away the sins of the world over 2000 years ago.  We are in the age of grace for a little while longer, when we have been given the chance to discover this relationship with God that I've talked about.  Take your civic duties seriously, but don't let any political leader take the place of God in your heart.

The days ahead are treacherous.  We have been spared another 9/11 attack on our soil in part because of the decisions of man, but mostly by the grace of God.  We have been warned and we cannot take our safety for granted.  But in Him, we will find everything we need.

NEVER FORGET...

PS.  If you wish to dialog with me about this or post a different opinion, please feel free.  I do ask that you keep it civil and respectful.