9-11 Remembered

Written 09/11/09

Joshua 4:20-24, And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall let your children know, saying, 

‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

A stone pile was erected as a reminder and teaching point lest future peoples forget…

Lest we forget:

American Airlines flight #11 hit the north World Trade Center tower at 7:46 cdst (central daylight savings time).

United Airlines flight #175 flew into the south tower at 8:03 cdst.

(In 1996, the family and I stood on the roof of the south tower and then stood at the base of the south tower noting a fire station across the street with a truck pulled halfway out and a couple of firemen leaning on it enjoying the afternoon.  They might have been two taken that September day.)

American Airlines flight #77 crashed into the Pentagon at 8:38 cdst

(In 2019, Janet and I stood in the memorial area where #77 crashed into the Pentagon marked by stones erected depicting those killed in the plane and those killed in the building – sobering.)

The south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed at 8:59 cdst

United Airlines Flight #93 crashed in Shanksville, PA at 9:10 cdst.

The north tower collapsed at 9:28 cdst.

Up to the collapses, there was hope as first responders were in action.  With the collapses, hope for limiting the impact of the attack dissipated.

(The death toll came to be 2,823 in New York, 189 at the Pentagon, and 44 in PA.)

In many ways, the hope of our nation was greatly weakened if not destroyed by the events of that day.  If we all die, then “eat, drink, and be merry” and thus spend and spend with little or no regard for tomorrow or the next generation.  It is only a matter of time before it all collapses anyway.  Hope has been lost.

How important is hope?  I Thessalonians 4:13, “…lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”  Hope helps us cope with disaster, evil, dark, trouble, and life.  For those without Christ, the impact of life’s hits are magnified and even overwhelming.

With Christ, there is sorrow, but it is manageable because of His provisions.

But we more and more live around people with no hope.  How sad!  How bad!

That HOPE we possess, dear friends of Jesus, is that He knows, provides, and is coming!  YEAH!

Remember, “Christ in you, the HOPE of GLORY!”