September 11, 2001:
Eight years after one bomb killed six people at the World Trade Center (WTC),
the terrorist threat revisited this New York City landmark as a commercial
plane collided with one of the twin towers.
 As
the public recoiled in horror, and as America watched, a second plane appeared
in the New York skyline 15 minutes later and exploded into the second tower.
Within another 45 minutes, yet another commercial plane fell out of the
Washington, D.C., sky and erupted in a massive fireball into the side of
the Pentagon building.
Less than an hour later back
in New York, one of the crippled WTC towers completely collapsed, followed
shortly thereafter by its twin. A fourth commercial aircraft was soon found
wrecked near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, presumably en route to Camp David,
the President’s vacation retreat. Within a few short hours of these
events, the preliminary casualty estimations were already over the 10,000
mark that was feared eight years earlier.
There is a great chance
that you, sitting at your computer reading this today, will be or have already
been personally affected by this catastrophic national horror. It is all
but impossible for the deaths of thousands and thousands of people in America’s
foremost city to slip past you unnoticed.
A friend of yours is
lost. Your cousin lives in Manhattan. Your neighbor was on a business trip
to the Big Apple and might have had an early morning meeting in the World
Trade Center. If this is not the case with you, then perhaps you have a
friend who had a friend there; or, maybe a friend of a friend lost someone.
The tentacles of this disaster have only begun to unravel. Within the days
and weeks to come, you just may find yourself unexpectedly tangled in the
web of this tragedy. Will you be prepared when and if that time comes?
You may be confronted
with people who are angry with God, outright blaming Him for allowing this
to happen. However, you may be surprised to discover that the majority voice
will be those in need of something to grasp, some straw of hope that they
have never held nor experienced. These are the people who saw the tragic
events of September 11, 2001, and responded with the dreadful realization
that the end could come at any minute. These are the people whose hearts
have been wrenched open by the shock waves from New York. In fact, maybe
you are one of these confused individuals yourself.
As believers and those
who have an unshakable hope in Christ Jesus, what can you offer those who
may come to your door seeking answers? Or, if you do not know Jesus as Savior
and Lord, where can you find strength and comfort?
First,
there is hope for those who are weighted down by unthinkable burdens.
Maybe they have lost a loved one, or have simply been shaken to the core
by those whose lives were taken so suddenly. Truly, the fear of
death can be as incapacitating as a life-threatening illness itself.
Yet
we hear the voice of Jesus speaking softly, "Come to Me, all who
are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon
you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light"
(Matthew 11:28-30). We were not made to be pack animals, hauling
such heavy
burdens. Fortunately, we have a Savior who is willing and able to relieve
us of these loads.
Second,
the arms of Christ provide the ultimate sanctuary of safety. Psalm
63 reads, "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land
where there is no water . . . For You have been my help, and in the shadow
of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds
me." The psalmist David was certainly no stranger to pain and suffering.
In this very psalm David thinks about those who are, at that moment, out
to take his life. However, David knew where his safety was found: under
the arm of God Almighty.
Finally,
there is hope even in the face of death. What is the most well known
verse in the Bible? That’s right, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,
but have eternal life." That whoever believes in Him shall not
perish. In Christ, there is no death; that is a well-deserved punishment
(Romans
6:23), yet Christ bore the death penalty for those who call upon Him.
Therefore,
in the midst of suffering, we too can claim the promise of Psalm 23: "Even though [I may be walking] through the
valley of the shadow of death . . . I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever" (vv. 4—6). Death cannot touch one whose faith is in
Jesus; this is a message that bears repeating in the days to come.
The
world has been dented by the tragic events of September 11; there is no
way around that fact. Life will never be the same. We now know that radical
terrorists can assault us even in our most pristine and impenetrable fortresses.
So, you must now answer the question, Where does your hope lie?
Is your hope in the military? . . . in stone buildings? . . . in weapons
of war? These things cannot promise security. Strive to answer along with
the psalmist, "But now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You"
(Psalm
39:7). If that is your answer, then your hope is secure.
Copyright © 2001
In Touch Ministries ®. All
rights reserved.
In Touch ®, In Touch Ministries ®, ITM, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia, USA
The Ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley
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