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