Hope in the Midst of Tragedy
Psalm 91
Where were you Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001 when you heard the news about the planes crashing into the twin towers of the World Trade Center? What were the thoughts running through your mind? What were the emotions you felt as you watched the towers collapse to the ground?
I remember that morning very well. I was driving to the church when I heard on the radio about the planes hitting the towers. When I got to the office, I told Linda about what was happening. I tried to logon to the websites of CNN, MSNBC, ABC, and several others, but couldn’t connect. They were all jammed. Finally, I went back home to watch the events on TV.
When I got home, Lisa and the boys were downstairs doing school. I told her what was happening and told the boys to come upstairs and watch the events as they unfolded before our eyes. I sat there in utter disbelief. I felt sadness and grief in the pit of my stomach. I had never seen the World Trade Center. I didn’t know anyone in the buildings. I have never been in the Pentagon and didn’t know anyone there. I didn’t know anyone on flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania. Yet, I couldn’t escape the grief and loss of all those who had died.
When the towers fell, the grief and loss grew. My tears moistened as I watched in disbelief that this was happening on American soil. I couldn’t get out of my mind those whose lives were no more. I could escape the pain of the family members at home who lost their loved ones. I felt paralyzed as I sat, glued to the images and sounds on the TV. Images and sounds that still play on the screen and speakers of my mind.
An immediate question that many people began asking was where was God when this happened? Listen to these words written by an unknown person who answers this question well.
9-11 "letter from God"
You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news on September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.
I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say, "Good-bye."
I held his fingers steady as he dialed
I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK...I am ready to go."
I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children.
I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn’t coming home that night.
I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out for Me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said, "Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now."
I was on four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.
I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?
I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met me for the first time on the 86th floor.
Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn’t hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; "Come to Me...this way...take My hand." Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.
I did not place you in the tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?
September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go."
I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.
Remember...I love you.
Tragedy happens when we least expect it. We get up every morning expecting the day to be like the one before it. We go through our morning routine as usual. We drive to work, school, or wherever we go assuming that we will return home later that day. We never know when tragedy will strike. We take for granted that our loved ones will return home from school, work, the golf course, or shopping in town. We do not like to dwell on these thoughts. After all, this could never happen to me.
How do we deal with our mortality and the mortality of those we love? We can’t live worrying about something we have no control over. We can’t live regretting that we never said what should have spoken. We can’t be afraid to let our mates, our children, and our friends out of sight for fear something tragic may happen.
Some have said that September 11, 2001 has changed our lives forever. It has changed some tangible things such as airport security, security at sporting events, and the fact that America is no longer a sanctuary from terrorists. Yes, the lives of the families of those that died that day have changed forever. Those who survived the horror have been changed forever. For, they will bare the physical and emotional scars for the rest of their lives.
But what about us? What about you? What about me? How have we changed since 9/11? Are we any different than we were a year ago?
The one change that should have occurred in us is that we have placed a premium value on life and those we love.
So, how do we live life in a nation that is at war on terrorism? What do the scriptures teach about living in times of tragedy and uncertainty?
There are many passages that tell the stories of how God’s people have endured times of persecution, war, illness, and famine. Today we will focus on three passages that teach us three life principles for living in times of uncertainty.
Principle #1: Make the most of every opportunity.
Psalm 90:12 (NLT)
Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.
Ephesians 5:16-17 (NLT)
16Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. 17Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Do you tell the people you love how much they mean to you? When was the last time you said I love you to your mate, your children, your parents, your grandchildren, your best friend? Men, don’t use the excuse that men don’t say those things to one another. The bible teaches that men are to be the nurturers of the relationships in the home. Men, we are to love our wives as Christ loves the Church. We are to love our children so as to inspire them to do their best. DO you tell them regularly?
Don’t say they know that I love them because I show it in my actions. Listen to me, your mate and your children need to hear you say the words, “I love you.” When you tell children you love them, don’t say “Daddy loves you.” Say to them, “I love you.” Don’t speak to them in the third person. Own your love for them. Let them hear “I love you.”
Sometimes it takes tragedy to teach us this lesson. We rarely said “I love you” in my family. It took the tragedy of my sister and family being killed in a tornado for us to begin speaking the words “I love you.”
Seize the moment. Make the most of every opportunity to do something good for someone, especially those you love.
Principle #2: Remember that God is your shelter.
Psalm 91:1 (NLT)
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
As I was studying for this message, I found a sermon titled God’s 911that was based on this passage. That is a great way to remember this Psalm when tragedy hits you and your family. Just as you would dial 911 on your telephone to call for help, open your bible and read Psalm 91:1. In fact, you ought to memorize this verse so you’ll have it when an emergency happens.
One person who experienced God’s comfort and peace through Psalm 91 was the famous 19th-century British preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. In 1854, shortly after Spurgeon had been called to pastor a London church, the city experienced a major cholera epidemic. "Family after family summoned me to the bedside of the smitten," he later wrote.
The death rate was so high that Spurgeon was conducting funerals daily. The long hours trying to comfort the grieving and personal discouragement over the scope of the epidemic left Spurgeon feeling weak, vulnerable, and frightened. He felt it was only a matter of time before he came down with cholera because of his contact with so many of the dying.
"I became weary in body and sick at heart. My friends seemed to be falling one by one, and I felt that I was sickening like those around me." An exhausted Spurgeon was sinking.
But that soon changed. As Spurgeon was returning from conducting yet another funeral service, a flyer posted in a shoemaker’s shop window got his attention. The flyer contained sections of Psalm 91, including these heartening words: "You will not fear the terror of night … nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you" (Ps. 91:5-7).
The impact of Psalm 91 upon Spurgeon was dramatic. He wrote: "The effect upon my heart was immediate. I felt secure, refreshed, girt with immortality. I went on with my visitation of the dying in a calm and peaceful spirit; I felt no fear of evil and I suffered no harm. The providence which moved the tradesman to place those verses in his window I gratefully acknowledge, and in the remembrance of its marvelous power, I adore the Lord, my God."
Principle #3: God will fulfill his purpose for those who serve him
2 Corinthians 4:8-12 (NLT)
8We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. 9We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. 10Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
11Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. 12So we live in the face of death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you.
The Apostle Paul and those who traveled with him endured many hardships and persecution. He was stoned twice and left for dead. But he got up, bandaged his wounds, and kept on going for God. God didn’t let death take him until Paul had accomplished all that God had planned for him.
In Acts chapter 12 is the story of King Herod having the Apostle James executed and the Apostle Peter arrested and put into prison. The night before Peter was to be tried and subsequently executed, an angel of the Lord woke Peter in jail and led him out to safety. Why didn’t the Lord save James? Did Peter have more faith than James? James had completed the purpose for which God had called him and God had more he needed Peter to do. Years later, Peter died on crucified upside down on a cross.
We have never been promised that because we are Christians we’ll not experience pain, suffering, and persecution. In fact, Jesus told his disciples that the world will hate them because of him.
We have the wrong idea of death. For the Christian, death is a good thing. For in death, we lose our sinful bodies and gain eternal life and sinless bodies. In death, we are healed from every disease and sickness. However, death will not to those are faithfully living out God’s purpose for them in this life.
Listen to Paul’s insight about the life of King David.
Acts 13:36b (NLT)
After David had served his generation according to the will of God, he died and was buried, and his body decayed.
Closing
What affect has September 11, 2001 had on you? Have you changed for the better? Do you know Jesus better today than you did a year ago?
Invitation
Has tragedy struck your family? If so, remember these principles and apply them. Bring your pain and hurt to Jesus. He wants to carry your load. He will give you strength. He will protect you.
Maybe everything is going well for you. Everyone’s in your family is healthy and well. Have you told those you love “I love you?” Make it a priority to tell them.
Let us pray.
