Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Under Attack




I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD
is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my
shield, and the horn of my salvation, my
stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy
to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
                                               Psalm 18:1-3 

     I sat cross-legged on the linoleum in front of our small black and white television as the voice of President John F. Kennedy greeted America. “Good evening, my fellow citizens.” But, it was not a good evening. He continued with an announcement about a nuclear missile buildup just off our shores on the small island of Cuba. I remember hearing words like capable of striking, offensive weapons of sudden mass destruction and threat to the security of all the Americas. It was October 22, 1962.

     I wept at the post office as I watched a yellow school bus pull away from the curb with my husband of six months. After only a few months of marriage, he had received a large envelope in the mail—drafted into military service to help win an undeclared war on a small Asian country. Ft. Knox, Kentucky, Ft. Dix, New Jersey, DMZ South Korea—no e-mail, no cell phones, no Skype! Night after night our televisions shocked America with visions of never-before-seen footage of our men on the front lines of battle. Swamps, Agent Orange and a hard to distinguish enemy left thousands of our young men dead and thousands more physically and emotionally wounded as they returned home to a country unwilling to celebrate their service. It was October 6, 1966.

     I sat watching the news, coffee in hand, when the unthinkable happened. Smoke, fire, screaming, confusion, ash covered faces running away from New York’s most prestigious buildings—the Twin Towers. Stunned disbelief blanketed our nation like a massive blizzard bringing everything to a halt; trains, planes, life! Over the next few days sorrow crept into the crevices of life and our American Dream changed forever. It was September 11, 2001.

     Twelve years later our nation is different; the way we fly, the way we do business, the way we scrutinize the faces of strangers. But one thing has not changed. God is still in control. From the Mayflower Compact and the Revolutionary War to our present anxiety over Syria, God has maintained His composure and control over every situation in our beloved America. He does not sit on His throne wringing His hands and wondering what to do next. He does not wait to see if a Democrat or a Republican will become president. He does not have to have political control in Congress. He remains the LORD who is worthy to be praised.

     As long as life continues on the earth, wars and rumors of wars will abound. But like King David, who recognized the sovereign hand of God and knew that his only protection was in trusting and believing God, we too must put our trust in our Holy God. Only then can we live a life unfettered by the fear of tomorrow—war, illness, financial ruin…

     God is in control. He always has been. He always will be. Cuba, Vietnam, Syria…crisis comes and goes. God remains constant! So, today as we remember our fellow Americans taken from us in an act of terror on September 11, 2001, let us also remember the LORD our God. He is our rock, our fortress, our deliverer. In Him we can take refuge and be saved from our enemies. Praise His Name!

©JP 2013

2 comments:

  1. Spent a lot of time huddled in a sandbagged bunker in Vietnam, but your post caused me to remember that the safest bunker in existence... is in the palm of the hand of Almighty God. Thank You Lord for Your provision.... John 10: 28-29

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  2. Thank you for your service, and yes the palm of the hand of Almighty God is our forever safe place. Amen!

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