It’s been ten years.
I was sitting in freshmen English class at Crest High School in Colony, KS. One of my classmates, KC, was tardy from school that day. Suddenly he came barreling through the doors saying that the reason he was late was because he stayed home watching the news about some planes crashing into buildings in New York City. A few moments later the teachers got word of the attacks and clicked on the cable in various classrooms. Is this really happening?
For weeks after that, we all watched the news footage unfold on television. The death toll climbed… and we were soon at war. Songs were wrote about that day, movies and documentaries made. Here we are a full decade later. It has impacted so many lives, mine included.
No, I didn’t know anyone in the towers that day. I didn’t personally ever meet the firefighters or the police officers that sacrificed so much. But I did marry a soldier, who, because of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, has now been deployed to Iraq a three times. Brandon is now a drill sergeant training our future soldiers to carry on in that noble and challenging task. Just as countless people did that day ten years ago, our current service members continue to this day to live out the words of John 15:13. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Even ten years later, it is hard to find good in the tragedy of that fateful day. But Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I doubt that many of us will know in this lifetime why the events unfolded the way that they did. But because we have a God who truly does love us and is a God of compassion, caring, trust and understanding, we can hold tight to the fact that either in this life or the next, God will work this historic moment for the good of those who love and believe in him.
We worship the God of Comfort. We are beginning a study of 2 Corinthians today at church. After the greetings stated by Paul, the first topic covered is “The God of All Comfort.” I think that it is no accident that it falls on the anniversary of September 11th in a military community. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
As I was praying about this post, felt God whisper that I should pay tribute via poem through his words.
NO COMMA INCLUDED
Today we recognize an event,
That will forever be in our mind,
An attack on our American soil,
One before it you cannot find.
Ten years ago it happened,
When planes crashed and buildings fell,
The memory of the victims and heroes,
In our hearts forever dwell.
But we take heart in the dear fact,
That we worship a God of love,
Who is always watching, guiding, comforting,
Sending hope down to us from His throne above.
We remember as those towers fell,
Hearts broke and we fell to our knees,
God loved us so much that he came down,
Met us here, comforted and answered our pleas.
For in this life we may not know,
The purpose for that tragic plight,
But someday we will understand why,
It’s really hard to understand,
But remember as the planes crashed, towers fell,
Our beloved nation rose together and stood.
Praise be to Him as God blesses America,
From back then, right now and tomorrow,
God repeatedly brings us together,
Continued strength from Him we can borrow.
The United States of America,
A country like ours there is no other,
For nowhere else shall you find,
So many willing to lay down their life for another.
September 11, 2001
A day that none will ever forget,
God came down and comforted the weary,
Needs of hope and promise his love truly met.
There is a real reason why there is no comma,
No punctual pause in that fateful line,
In the pledge “ONE NATION UNDER GOD,”
For being under Him is a blessing, truly divine.
So we pray to Our Father in Heaven,
That He will keep America Red, White and Blue,
And that phrase with no comma included,
Will always stand strong and be true.
Take comfort, dearest readers, that while today is a day of tribute and remembrance, we can also be comforted that God loves us and is in control. There is a reason that this is no comma included in the pledge of allegiance in the phrase “ONE NATION UNDER GOD.” We, as a nation, ARE under Him. The God of Love. The God of Compassion. The God of Comfort.
May God Bless America.
SGK
“He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 1:10-11
