OUR RESPONSE TO THE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON
THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND OTHER TARGETS
Monday, September. 17
Like most of the world, we have been following the breaking news this week
with shock and heavy hearts . My response was to join with those from my and several other
churches in our city Tuesday night, Sept. 11, for a time of prayer and reflection.
The thoughts expressed in the prayers and Scripture readings helped us see the situation
as one more manifestation of the spiritual battle that has been going on in this country
for decades -- and it's not the one between Islam and Christianity and Judaism which has
been going on for centuries. If you
really want to understand it, pick up the Bible and read the book of Deuteronomy. It's
easy to see the enemy who has done this as a conspiracy of human terrorists, and only
that. But as well as the external enemy,
which needs to be dealt with on a national level by governments, we have our own national
immorality to blame.. It's easier to look outside at the evil people who have used our
planes as bombs and want vengeance than to
look within for evil in our own hearts and turn away from it.
Many times I've heard on the news that this is a wake-up call for America. Indeed it is.
We need to up our defenses. We need to support our government in doing what is necessary
to end this terrorism. But no government and no country can ignore its creator for long
and assume there will be no consequences. God has been very patient with us as a country,
giving us every opportunity to turn our hearts back to Him. Instead we turn them farther
away.
So, as I pray that God will give our leaders wisdom in tracking down and culprits and
executing justice, I also pray that my fellow citizens will once again remember and turn
back to their creator, in whom exists the only
real safely. Otherwise, I fear we will go the way of the Roman Empire.
I encourage all God-fearing people in this country to remember our
nation's leaders, rescue workers, and bereaved in your prayers. And although our hearts
are heavy with sorrow, and, perhaps, angry toward those who attacked the United States, I
would urge all to remember that many innocent people of Middle Eastern origin live among
us. It is not right or just to make them scapegoats of our anger. The guilty must be
brought to justice, and it is the job of the United States government to defend its
people. But vengeance belongs to the Lord himself, who is the only one with the power and
authority to execute it. We are called as individuals to love our neighbors. But it is the
job of governments to defend and protect their citizens from those within and without who
mean to harm them. We are as individuals to love our enemies and return good for evil. But
governments throughout Bible history were not only allowed, but often
commanded by God to fight and destroy the enemies of God. And often, the enemies of God
were used to defeat and wake up the people of God when they had turned away from Him. Look
at the books of Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, and
the other history books in the Bible for evidence of this.
I believe that God is urging us as a nation to turn our hearts back to Him
and to walk in His ways. We do not want to risk being His enemies. In the Old Testament
God has stated His will for us in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. He has summarized
what He requires from us in Micah 6:8: "to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with your God." In the book of Deuteronomy(6:5) the law of God is
summarized: "...and you shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your might."
God is speaking to America in this catastrophe. He is calling us back to
Himself. He can only comfort, protect , and lead us when we have set our hearts to obey
him. As a nation, we have gone our own way. We have killed our own unborn children for our
convenience -- more of them than the people who were lost in the attack on the World Trade
Center. We have turned away from our husbands and wives and children. Adultery,
fornication, various sexual perversions and child abuse are all too common throughout our
land. Too many children do not honor their parents. Lying, cheating and stealing have
become common, and coveting is a way of life. And even among those who honor their
parents, are faithful to their spouses, who deal honestly with others and are satisfied
with what they have, many do not love the Lord their God at all -- let alone with all
their hearts.
So in this time of national crisis, I would urge all of us, including
myself, to remember our priorities. As Americans, we should heed the warning God gave the
children of Israel as they were about to enter the promised land ( Deuteronomy 6). Through
Moses He warned the people that after they entered the land which was rich with resources
and food they did not produce, they would acquire houses full of good things and might
forget the Lord who had brought them out of slavery. "Beware, lest you say in
your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You
shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth...and if
you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship
them, I solemnly warn you this day that you shall surely perish." Deut.: 8:11-20.
Ultimately, it is not our armed forces and our weapons that will protect
us. It is our God. He uses armies and weapons in the hands of people, and sometimes calls
them to battle their enemies, but unless He fights for them, they are lost. He has,
in the past, used his enemies to execute judgement on his people, but when the hearts of
his people obeyed and trusted him, he fought for them. As one of the pastors said in the
prayer service Tuesday night, the question is not whose side God is on right now. The
question to answer is whether we are on God's side -- whether we as a nation are willing
to follow his commandments. If we are not willing to walk in his ways and love and obey
him, we should not expect him to protect us, but to judge us.
It is my prayer at this time that we as individuals and as a nation will
heed his call to love and serve him with all our hearts. One of my favorite hymns is
"God of Our Fathers" by Daniel C. Roberts. I use it to help me pray during these
days of unrest, especially these last three verses:
Thy love divine has led us in
the past,
In this free land, by Thee our lot is cast;
Be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay,
Thy word our law, thy paths our chosen way.
From
war's alarms, from deadly pestilence,
Be
thy strong arm, our ever sure defense;
Thy
true religion in our hearts increase,
Thy
bounteous goodness, nourish us in peace.
Refresh thy people on their
toilsome way,
Lead us from night to never ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,
And glory, laud, and praise be ever thine.
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