Reflecting on 9/11

On September 11th, 2001 almost 3000 people died at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in a field in Pennsylvania. I remember getting ready for work that day, like any other day, when live coverage on the Today Show broadcast the horrifying video of planes cutting through the twin towers. I stood slack-jawed in unbelief at what I was seeing. Several minutes later the World Trade Center came crashing down in a plum of fire, smoke, and toxic ash.

Later reports came in of plane crashing into the Pentagon, the Pentagon! The country was bracing for the worst, how many planes were out there and where would the next crash be? Next the report came in of a plane that was possibly heading for the White House crashing in a field in rural Pennsylvania. That was a tense day with everyone hoping that the senseless violence had ended.


The days following 9/11 we saw the best of American charity, brotherly love, and solidarity. Churches were packed the Sunday following the attacks. Men and women from all over the country volnuteered to help at ground zero. Thousands of American young men and women enlisted in armed services eager to defend our country. Many of us prayed fervently, for the victims, their families, and for America.

Today the news is dominated by war on two fronts, the growing intolerance for Muslims, and the pitiful financial state of our nation. How did we get here? How do we get out of the mess we are in? When can we get back the way things were before 9/11? These are the questions I find myself asking but there are no real answers.

What is the best way I can honor the memories of those who perished on 9/11? I believe it is to live a life free from the fear of terrorist attack, support our troops, and most importantly pray for our nation. I pray for the recession to end, for troops to come home and lasting peace, and for the threat of terrorism to be wiped from the earth. Most importantly I pray for revival.

I pray that God's people would rise up and take hold of their mission to bring the Gospel to every soldier, Muslim, and neighbor. I pray that idols of greed and gluttony that consume America be crushed. I pray that we could love men and women who worship other gods without compromising our Faith in Christ, and show them Christ by how we love one another. Jesus is Lord and He is the answer.