Where was I twenty-five years ago today?
Brain fuzzy with sleep deprivation, I shuffled around my bedroom, trying not to wake baby Emme, who was finally asleep. Still a newborn, 33 days old, her cleft palate made feeding feel impossible. My nerves felt frayed from failure. That morning, I planned to pack up the diaper bag and venture out of our home. A La Leche League meeting held a glimmer of hope. Please let me find a solution. I can’t take much more of this, I prayed, gazing at my slender child.
My cellphone tune startled me. Jeff, on the other end of the line, said, “Turn on the TV! I’m on my way home now.”
As I stared at the explosion of those towers in New York, all my plans came to a standstill. What had seemed urgent suddenly shrunk. I held my sleepy child in weary arms and prayed for all those people, for my nation, for our world.
September 11th changed my worldview. Before, I had no interest in ‘the news.’ Before that event, ignorance was bliss. Why should I pay attention to things I couldn’t change? Suddenly, everything mattered, but it all felt beyond my control.
One scene I remember felt hopeful. Politicians from opposing parties stood on the Capitol steps singing:
“God bless America, land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above;
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America, my home, sweet home,
God bless America, my home, sweet home.”
(Irving Berlin, 1918)
I wondered if that disaster would bring accord to our nation. Maybe what the enemy meant for evil, God would use for good (Genesis 50:20). How short the unity lasted! Soon, name-calling and finger-pointing returned. It would take more than a terrorist attack to bless the land that I love with peace.
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Five Minute Friday Prompt: Approve
Twenty-five years after 9/11, does God approve of US? Does He take pleasure in US Christians, called by His name? I look around and wonder how He sorts our struggles.
“Are You on our side, O Lord? Surely we fight for Your cause. With Your blessing, we rise and make our nation mighty again!” This reminds me of Joshua, the righteous leader of Israel. One day, he met an angel.
“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked,
‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’
‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground…” (Joshua 5:13-14, NIV).
Whose side are You on today, O God? How do we know who is right? Your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We know how to please You. Sometimes, however, we forget.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, NIV).
O LORD, on this anniversary of a world-changing event, lead US to humble ourselves in prayer. Forgive ME for letting my love grow cold. It may seem like I can’t make a difference, but I won’t give in to despair.
“And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:12,13, NASB).
Forgive US for thinking that might makes right. Only Your power brings strength. Forgive US for hatred, division, and greed. Jesus, help US forgive as You have forgiven US.
Every choice we make matters much. We need Your guidance each day. Integrity comes when we fix our eyes on Jesus.
Help US remember to trust in You.
Please forgive and heal our land.
Visiting from FMF. I’m from the UK but I will always remember that day. It’s one of those moments that you never forget where you were. I enjoyed reading your reflections here.
That was powerful, Anna. I know I’ll never forget. Watching it this morning just brought back so many emotions and the grief that is still raw for those family members.
Visiting from FMF.
Yep! Everyone remembers where they were that day. I was 6 months pregnant and woke to find 20
People packed into my parents family room glued to the TV. We were all there for my grandad’s memorial. It took some doing to get someone to tell me what was going on. They were all in shock. As we all were.