Unleashed: As You Go – Pray
“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.” Psalm 69:1-3
Turn on the TV! These were the words I heard shouted as I answered a call from Connie. We had just moved from Nairobi, Kenya to Richmond, Virginia to take on a new assignment with the International Mission Board. September 11, 2001, a day forever etched in time. Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11 which is still as fresh in our memory as if yesterday.
We joined that night with other believers at our church to pray. Across America, thousands of other churches opened their doors for prayer. For the next several Sundays there seemed to be a spiritual awakening as churches were filled to capacity. Millions were looking for hope, assurance that everything would be OK. People sought the fellowship of others in the midst of tragedy. The words of William Temple, the Archbishop of Canterbury after World War II, said it well, “The church is the only organization that does not exist for itself, but for those who live outside of it.” It was those from outside that also sought the comfort of the church.
Yet as quickly as our nation turned to God in fear and confusion on that bleak night, just as quickly people went back to their pre-9/11 lives. R. C. Sproul wrote that the very last sermon that Martin Luther preached was on people departing from the power of God. “Luther preached with passion about his concern for Germany. He observed that after the gospel had been rediscovered—after light had dawned and pushed aside the darkness that had eclipsed it during the Middle Ages—people were now becoming somewhat jaded to the gospel. They could hear it from virtually every pulpit in Germany, but it was no longer something that ignited fire in their bones.”
As our nation commemorates the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we find ourselves deeply divided, less respectful of others, civility forgotten, fear increasing and anxiety prevalent. Instead of our nation focused on God, we find an increasing number rejecting the church. Janet Denison writes that “People will continue to blame “religion” for what is wrong in the world. It’s the job of every Christian to glorify God for all that is right. If we will take the time to “be prepared” and use every opportunity to share the “hope” that we have with “gentleness and respect,” we will change the culture one conversation at a time.”
As a firefighter was sorting through the rubble and remnants of the south tower he made an unbelievable discovery: A Bible fused to a chunk of steel. Pages from the “9/11 Bible” remained with a portion of Jesus Sermon on the Mount showing, as if God was speaking to America, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” (Matt 5:38-39)
Joel Meyerowitz, the photographer assigned as record keeper of ground zero, after receiving the Bible, said, “It totally mesmerizes me that amidst the burning destruction of 9/11 and the remaining rubble, this fragile yet powerful piece of parchment was able to endure and send a lasting message to us all: Our fleshly nature urges us to repay evil for evil, but God calls us to press on in forgiveness and love, while leaving vengeance to Him.” (To view a short video showing and discussing the 9/11 Bible click here)
On this 20th anniversary of 9/11 I hope we set aside a time for prayer and reflection. Let it serve as a renewed time of prayer for our nation’s citizens to again be humble and willing to return to God. Pray that our nation would be used of God to touch the world for good. Let our churches be a place of healing and spiritual renewal. “When the unchurched, the lost, and those away from God enter our churches, they need to see us believing in the power of prayer and the power of God.” — Ronnie Floyd
“The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8
God is great,
Lynn