September has come and gone. My in-laws visited us here during the last month; they flew down this time. As they were making their plans they mentioned wanting to fly down on the 11th. That made us cringe a little-- just the thought of flying on 9/11. They eventually changed their plans to the 10th, but mostly out of convenience.
It has now been five years now since that dreadful day where innocent people perished and ordinary people became heroes. It causes us all to reflect on life. Major motion pictures have recently been made to honor those families of the fallen. The question has been, “Is it too early to remember this event in this way.” My answer is that it is too soon to forget. You know where you were when you saw or heard the news that day. But everyday we seem to forget what it takes to secure the freedom we enjoy. I am ever grateful to those heroes that make our way of life possible-- ordinary people who do extraordinary things.
I wonder what did God think of 9/11? What does He think of any disaster? Before 9/11 one other tragedy that stuck out in people’s minds was the Oklahoma City Bombing. I have never been to New York. But I have been to Oklahoma City. In fact, I was there shortly after the bombing took place, and saw the building structure in ruins. What did God think of that? Though no one can really answer that question, we see in God’s revealed word that clearly we live in a fallen world. At Creation we were made in God’s image. However the corruption of the fall has stained the every fabric of our lives. Only through Christ can we restore the Imago Dei (image of God) in us, until the ultimate consummation of all things. Scripture also leads us to see that God does show emotion. Just as we wear our emotions on our sleeve, since we are made after His image, we can conclude that healthy emotion come from Him. What emotions are evoked in us after such atrocities like 9/11? It is the same that Jesus felt in John 11:35 after the sudden death of a dear friend. Jesus wept.
This inspired the sculptor of the memorial of the Oklahoma City Bombing. God was grieved over these events and is grieved over the tragedies in your life. When horrible things happen in our lives as a result of living in a fallen world, Christ is there with us crying with us and consoling our souls. Whether an act of terrorism or the loss of a loved one, or an extended stay in the hospital, it does not matter what the circumstance is, God cares about you. That does not change our situation, but it can change the way we view it. The thought that God is saddened by the things that sadden us changes our desire of blaming Him for what He did not do. Let us simply understand, and better yet, trust that God is our refuge and strength and an ever-present help in time of trouble. When we do grieve, we do not grieve like those who have no hope. (Ps. 46:1; 1 Thess. 4:13)
posted by Gregory Fish @ 5:52 PM
2 Comments:
I was in NY during September 11th. Although it was a great tragedy, it will unfortunately be small compared to the possibility of nuclear catastrophe and other attacks which will probably take place in hopefully not too soon future.
PS. Where is your web-site. Where are you hiding it.
I hope you're wrong.
My site is having some serious troubles, but you can access it at www.gforg.homestead.com. But then the mp3s and videos don't work. I'll try and find some time to work on it. What did you need from it?
Post a Comment
<< Home