Tomorrow is the 9th anniversary of that infamous day when three planes were intentionally piloted into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. A fourth plane was wrestled to the ground in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, by a group of ordinary individuals who decided to do something extraordinary that day. 19 misguided and lost souls took over those four planes, and their collective actions resulted in the deaths of more than 3,500 people.
As with the assassination of JFK in 1963, most people remember exactly what they were doing when they heard the appalling news and glued themselves to the television for the next few days. Over and over again we saw the ghastly images of those planes streaking toward the towers and then disappearing in a ball of flame. It all seemed so surreal, especially in light of the incredibly beautiful backdrop of a clear, sunny fall day.
Having served 9 ½ years in the Hollywood Fire Rescue Department prior to my call into ministry, my heart was especially grieved for the New York City Fire Fighters who gave their all that day. Over the years, many people continue to ask me two penetrating questions:
Why?
Where was God?
The why question can be answered with a single word—SIN! All of the bad things that happen in this world are the direct result of the cosmic rebellion of Adam and Eve, the first two human beings ever created by God. When they fell in the Garden, we all fell with them, and we now live in a fallen and broken world filled with fallen and broken people.
The where question can also be answered with a single word—EVERYWHERE! Omnipresence was everywhere. He was on those flights providing strength to passengers in the middle of the unimaginable final moments of their final storm in life. In all the reports of flight crews and passengers on those doomed planes who were able to call loved ones, not once did we hear about panic-stricken people. The passengers on Flight 93 had learned about planes that had been turned into flying bombs that morning; instead of going to their graves like sheep led to the slaughter, they decided to make a stand and fight back. Todd Beamer and other heroes on Flight 93 gave us the battle cry that defined the war on terror for every American: “Let’s roll!”
God was also busy limiting the number of passengers on those flights. All four planes could have accommodated more than 1,000 passengers, but there were only 266 aboard. God likewise limited the number of workers in the Twin Towers from the more than 50,000 who could have been there to just over 20,000. For those caught in the middle of this incredible tragedy, God sent countless highly trained professionals to rescue those trapped and tend to the injured. God was in traffic jams, delayed trains, and changed plans. He was also on every floor and in each stairwell of the Twin Towers.
In the middle of all that God was doing that day, we found a nation driven to its knees in utter desperation. Churches across America were filled with hurting, grieving, and confused people, all seeking comfort in the storm. Countless lives were saved through this incredible tragedy because our God will use all things ultimately for His glory and the good of His children.
So if someone asks you “Where was God?” tell them this: He was EVERYWHERE, and He still is EVERYWHERE, working all things, even the unspeakably evil acts of man, to accomplish His perfect purposes. Remember, in God’s economy, desperation always precedes deliverance.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 