2 Chronicles 7:14-16 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
There are certain days that will live in our memories as
long as God puts breath within our bodies. For those of us who are old enough,
we will never forget when the news announced that President John Kennedy had
been assassinated on November 22, 1962. We must never forget. How can any of us
forget the early hours of that tragic Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001. If
we try to remember any specific date in our lives over twenty years ago, it
would be almost impossible, but this date, like the Pearl Harbor attack, will
live “in infamy,” as spoken by President Franklin Roosevelt.
There is another Date that will most certainly live in
infamy: September 11. 2001. Some of us were at our jobs that day, and some were
in school; some were maybe just finishing our morning cup of coffee before
heading out to tackle the world that day. Then, on every mass media device, we
heard that two airplanes had crashed into the World Trade Center. It was like
watching some horror movie as we watched the airplanes crashing into the two
buildings of the World Trade Center. We watched in terror and horror as these
magnificent buildings that had taken years to construct collapsed in a matter
of minutes, and thousands of people lost their lives. There were two other
tragedies averted that day, one in Pennsylvania and one at the Pentagon in
Washington, DC. All air travel came to a halt for several days as we all
awaited some word that would help us make some sense of the tragedies that
unfolded right before our eyes.
Some people were asking: Where was God on September 11,
2001? God was where He always has been and will always be, on His throne. When
we study God’s Holy Word, we see that all that happens in this Life is within
the will of God. Sometimes, we do not understand why God allows certain things
to happen; however, one day, all who have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior
will have a clear understanding of why God allows bad things to happen, as well
as the great things he brings into our lives. He is in the background and
commands everything that happens in His universe. This is always accomplished
‘according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Christ Jesus’ (Ephesians.
1:9), in accordance with His will and pleasure (Ephesians 1:5), and conforming
with the purpose of His perfect will (Ephesians 1:11).
It means that the will of God functions according to the
counsel of His will, independent of any input from creation, and that He does
everything for His good pleasure or to bring glory to His name. So many things
are happening all around us in the universe- black holes forming, stars being
born, supernovas exploding, etc. But we do not know about it. God knows about
all of it, and He is directing it.
Sometimes, God allows things to happen that are contrary to the perceptive will of God. All the murders and other crimes are outside God’s standard for our lives. (Mic.6:8) But God allows them to be. Yes, humanity can perpetrate evil while God is still in control of history. But humanity will be held liable for violating God’s law. The only way to avert being held liable for breaking God’s Laws is by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. Surrendering our lives, hearts, minds, bodies, and souls to the one that made it possible for us to experience eternal Life.
Thus, we see that God did not direct the September 11, 2001
incidents but permitted it to happen. It will bring glory to the name of God in
the end. As we look around us, we see that many people are already turning back
to God. Many are buying Bibles; many are reading them and attending church for
the first time.
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