A WORD FOR TODAY, September 10, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, September 10, 2021
“Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? Will you love vanity and seek after falsehood? Selah. But know that Yahweh has set apart for himself him who is godly: Yahweh will hear when I call to him. Stand in awe, and don’t sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Put your trust in Yahweh. Many say, ‘Who will show us any good?’ Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us. You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and their new wine are increased. In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety.” Psalm 4, WEB
As we draw near to the anniversary of shocking events of September 11, 2001, I was thinking about our state of mind in those days. I thought about repeating the post from September 12th, but then looked at the previous day. What were our concerns on September 10th? For me, apparently it was road construction. Ironically, this is still a problem for me despite being twenty years later and six hundred miles away.
There was major road construction happening on both roads leading from our house in Jacksonville to Little Rock. The contractors were doing their best to prevent traffic delays, but some inconvenience is always inevitable when the roads are being repaired or replaced. The road to the west was four lanes and traveled through a very busy business district. There were strip malls and other commercial properties for miles. The traffic was controlled by stoplights and there were many cross traffic turns. During rush hour this road was extremely busy. A mile and a half of the road was being resurfaced, and there is no convenient detour available.
Road construction is often done at night to avoid the dangers and traffic problems it would create during the day. We might wonder how they can see, but if you have driven through road work at night you know that they use very bright lights to illuminate the work area. It is much safer for the workers to be there at night. There are fewer cars on the road, and the bright light brings attention to the work area. In the daytime, it is easy for road workers to disappear in the normal hustle bustle of life.
In that writing on the day before 9/11, I commented on the concerns of many Christians that evil is overtaking our society. This concern is no less today than it was twenty years ago. Evil is called good and vice versa. Children are maturing much too quickly. Social media puts them in a place where decisions about drugs and sex come well before they are old enough to really understand the consequences. Political correctness and tolerance are opening the doors to acceptance all sorts of worship, turning people from the truth that is Christ. Many Christians are afraid to be in this world today, so they reject it and live in a bubble surrounded only by Christian things. Unfortunately, this means that we are not being a blessing to those who need to see the light of Christ. We get lost and risk falling prey to false piety and false teachers who teach a false gospel.
There was something about our attitude in the days after 9/11. All over the country churches opened their doors for special prayer services. Americans took time to focus on God, to seek His comfort, protection, and guidance. There were stories from New York of people who risked their lives to search the wreckage for survivors. One doctor rode his bike from the other end of New York and stayed on the site for days. All over the country, people gave blood and money to help with the effort. We could fill books with the Americans have drawn together for a common purpose and are proving themselves to be strong and unified.
In the days following 9/11, I encouraged my readers to stay constantly in prayer. Vengeance is God’s, but we have been given the authority and responsibility to bring justice in this world. I’m not sure that we managed to do so, but we know that God will one day make all things right. Even now, twenty years later, we need to continue to pray for wisdom and God’s guidance for those who will be burdened by the responsibility of leadership in our world. It may not be our task to ensure that things have been made right for those who have suffered at the hands of evil, but we can join in the work through prayer and sharing the Gospel message.
We are God’s and we will one day stand face to face with our Savior, basking in His glory and worshipping Him for eternity. But for today, we must continue to do the work we have been called to do. We cannot allow the enemy to paralyze us, nor should we stand idle as we watch for our hope to be revealed. Remember who you are, whose you are and be ready to meet your Master by serving Him in spirit, truth, and flesh. Our work for His Kingdom is our daily sacrifice and our true worship.
Our concerns on 9/10 might have been road construction, a concern of ours to this day. But the question we ask as we prepare for the twentieth anniversary of that horrific day is what attitude will we have in the coming days? Will we focus on the daily annoyances of daily life like we were on 9/10, or will we turn our gaze on God and seek His will for our lives as we did on 9/12? Will we grumble about traffic or worship God and trust Him to comfort, protect, and guide us daily to do what is right in the world?
The road workers do their best to complete the work as quickly and efficiently as possible. They work in the darkness using the light to guide and protect them. When the work is complete, the sun will rise on a new road, which will benefit every traveler. As for our Christian walk, we cannot be afraid to do our work in the darkness of this world. After all, we have the light that is Christ to guide and protect us from every danger. Soon the day will dawn and the morning star, which is Christ, will reign. Until then we must rely on Him to be the light in this darkness and continue to work for His glory.
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