‘9/11’
Who could ever forget September 11th, 2001? ‘9/11’, as it is widely known, was the day when three thousand and forty five people suddenly lost their lives in a cruel, calculated terrorist attack in New York. The ramifications and repercussions of the day are still with us. It was a day which changed the world. The very mention of 9/11 triggers off in us our recollections of where we were and what we were doing at the time, and the mixed emotions of disbelief, numbness, sadness and outrage we then felt.
Writing as a Bible-believing Christian, and not as a politician, I ask the question: Does the Bible cast any light on that black day in the autumn of 2001? It does indeed:-
The Sovereignty of God
The Bible encourages us to see God’s providence behind absolutely everything that happens, with no exceptions. Behind ‘secondary causes’ – even the evil intentions of wicked men – there yet lies the sovereign will of God. The Shorter Catechism reminds us that ‘The decrees of God are His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby, for His Own glory, He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.’
We are forced to admit our limitations here. In fact, confessing our ignorance is a mark of intelligence. God’s ways are sometimes beyond us. After all, He is God! We, being finite creatures cannot always comprehend the infinite God. We can say though that He knows what He is doing, and He is worthy of our trust. ‘‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD’ (Isaiah 55:8). ‘How unreachable are His judgements, and how inscrutable His ways’ (Romans 11:33). God is infinitely different. ‘There is none holy like the LORD, there is none besides Thee’ (1 Samuel 2:2).
The Sin of Man
The Bible diagnoses all the sorrow and disharmony of the world as being the result of human sin. Sin puts us out of fellowship with our Maker and each other. Sin manifests itself in myriads of painful, destructive ways. Romans 3 tells us that ‘all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin’ (v.9), and then – as we remember 9/11 – goes on to say that one of the consequences of sin is this: ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood, in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they do not know’ (vv. 15,16).
As sinners, we are all in need of salvation. And it is the Christian Gospel which ‘is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith’ (Romans 1:16).
The Fragility of Life
Days such as September the eleventh remind us that life is brief and fragile, eternity is ever near, and this world is, at best, very uncertain. ‘You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes’ (James 4:14). The shocks of this world can act as a wake-up call to us. We cannot assume a tomorrow or a next week. How vital it is therefore to be right with our Maker, as we could face Him at any time. The only way to be right with our Maker is to know that our sins are forgiven. The only way to be sure that our sins are forgiven is to trust in the Lord Jesus, God’s Son, the Saviour of sinners. Decisions in time affect eternity. Decisions on earth affect whether we will spend eternity in heaven or in hell. Hence 2 Corinthians 6:2: ‘Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’
In Luke 13, the Lord Jesus was asked about a certain tower which fell on eighteen people, killing them instantly. Jesus here refused to get involved in the kind of theological speculation and debate which 9/11 brought in its wake. Instead, He gave the stark warning: ‘Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish’ (v.5).
The Comfort of God
Amidst the difficulties, perplexities, disappointments and even the devastations of this life, Christians have a resource of which the world knows nothing. We have a God to Whom we can turn. ‘The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him’ (Nahum 1:7). ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though the waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult’ (Psalm 46:1-3).
The Promise of Peace to Come
Christians know – on the authority of the Bible – that this world will not remain the way it is now for ever. One day, God will right all wrongs. He will punish evil doers eternally, and bring in His Kingdom of everlasting righteousness and peace. We pray for this future blessing every time we pray ‘Thy Kingdom come.’
The ultimate goal of all history is the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when He comes again, there will be cosmic redemption. ‘According to His promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells’ (2 Peter 3:13). ‘They shall beat their swords into plough shares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more’ (Isaiah 2:4).
September the eleventh – 9/11. It is a day which will be for ever etched upon world history and in our minds and memories. Strange to report, but I have heard unbelievers audaciously railing against Almighty God for that human tragedy. How we react to devastation reveals much about the state of our souls. We either turn against God, or we seek Him more earnestly – cleaving to His promises and asking Him for help and comfort, being reassured from the Bible that He is actually working all things out for our good, and that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As you read this though, I am aware that you may have your own version of 9/11 – a particularly sad and devastating day when your circumstances changed suddenly, and your whole world caved in. If so, may the following be balm to your troubled soul:-
O Child of God, this grief
That bows your spirit low
Is yours but half, for Christ Himself
Still shares His people’s woe
His wisdom planned it out
Then bore it on His heart
Till gently on your untried back
Love laid the lesser part
So take it with all joy
Together bear the cross
For while you suffer, He distils
A heaven from your loss
Beneath His secret will
Subscribe with ready pen
Add to this sorrow God has sent
A resolute ‘Amen’
Each day spend out in faith
Nor prove His labour vain
Cast still on Christ the pressing weight
Who only can sustain.
Article Copyright Timothy Cross
Dear Dr. Cross,
I am so thankful I discovered this post as I have been searching for the words of this letter/poem written by Samuel Rutherford to Lady Kenmure (on the occasion of the death of her son). I believe it’s called “Christ Shares His People’s Sorrows: Grace in Winter.”
My dear friend, Lindsey, has just become a widow within the last few days and I wanted to encourage her with this wonderful reminder of the way we can trust God’s sovereignty, rest in Christ’s sympathy, and take solace in the Holy Spirit’s comfort through any trial, tribulation, or loss. He is surely using it all for our salvific good and His glory.
I also feel grateful to have stumbled upon your writing as it has already been a great encouragement to my own soul during a difficult time in my life. I’m looking forward to reading more. The Lord has surely blessed you with a gift, which you are clearly using to extend His name and fame. What a beautiful evidence of His grace in your life.
May God continue to bless your writing ministry. Thank you, again.
In His grip,
Laura