In the Face of Trials

As we navigate the trials and challenges of this life, we can remember that God is near to us. Romans 8 
tells us:
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That was a Scripture passage that President Bush used in the 9-11 memorial service at the National Cathedral in Washington three days after the attacks, a service in which Billy Graham also spoke. It was also used by Carmen Falcione in a special observance related to 9-11 at the Alabama State Capitol. This passage can remind us that even though we will face difficulty in this life, through Jesus, we can know the love of Christ.  Apart from Him, we cannot experience the abiding presence of His love - so He is drawing us closer, in order that we may be comforted and strengthened.

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As citizens of heaven who are placed on this earth, we know that we will encounter trials - and in their 
midst, we can surrender to and experience God's purposes. James chapter 1 reminds us:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

There are certain events in history about which you can recall exactly where you were.  September 11, 2001 is one of those days.  I remember it so well - I was actually right here, hosting Morning Praise on Faith Radio, when the news first came in.  It became very apparent within minutes of when the first plane hit the World Trade Center that this was bad, really bad.  In the next few hours, there was already a prayer response that was occurring.  And, honestly, you had a sense that things in America might never be the same.

Christina Stanton remembers that day well.  According to a FoxNews.com story from last year:

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Christina could see the smoke billowing from the World Trade Center after the first plane hit. As she watched the black soot, the second plane flew within 500 feet of her 24th-floor balcony. The sound of the roaring engines knocked her down and out, rendering her temporarily deaf. She and her husband, a finance executive, grabbed what they could, his wallet, the dog and the dog's leash. Christina was still in her nightgown and no shoes.

In the book, Christina describes how they joined the throngs on the streets running for their lives. As the towers fell and the yellow debris covered everything, Christina and Brian, exhausted, stopped. She asked her husband: "Are we going to die?" He responded by saying the Lord's Prayer, “Our Father, who art in heaven…”

Lauren Green from Fox writes that 9-11, "...became a moment of a faith transformed..." for Christina. The story quotes her:

"When the attacks happened I learned, 'Wow! I actually have no control,'" she said.

She realized that life offered few guarantees, that it wasn't just, "work hard and God will bless and prosper you."

"My worldview was totally changed."

Stanton has been a New York City tour guide and author of the book, Out Of the Shadow of 9-11: An Inspiring Tale of Escape and Transformation.  Green writes:

She says, "I really had to start over from the very beginning. Who am I? Who am I in Christ?... I would call myself somebody who went to church on Sundays," but, "I really hadn't internalized the Bible, internalized who Jesus said he was, who I am in him."

It took, as the story says, "a-decade-and-a-half" to come to grips with the events of that day, perhaps a form of PTSD.  

But, Christina and husband Brian encountered a different type of menace earlier this year.  A CBN article from late April says:

The Stantons didn't die, but suffered health problems from the toxic dust for years. Their troubles did bring them closer to God, Christina saying, "Our whole lives are changed because of 9/11. It certainly deepened our relationship with Christ."

Now they've spent the last month fighting to survive the coronavirus after both of them tested positive.

Christina says, "It was definitely a battle. And you were very cognizant that you were in a battle for your life..." She was close to death two times, according to the article and went to the hospital on two occasions.  A doctor told her that she had a "50/50" possibility of survival.

Upon learning that she had COVID, she had sent out over 100 e-mails asking for prayer, and she says those prayers strengthened her.  She says: "When you have a temperature over a hundred degrees, it's really hard to pray or even string a sentence together. And I knew there were people praying for me when I couldn't pray for myself." Christina offers this reminder: "So prayer is everything. And I invoked the name of Jesus Christ quite a bit during this past month. And there is power in that name and there is power in prayer."

Amen.  And, there is no shortage of items for which we can be in prayer.  On 9-11 and in the days after, we were a nation united - church attendance was on its way up, political leaders were in lockstep, and a national tragedy brought a sense of national sorrow and resolve.  However, much has changed in the 19 years since September 11, 2001.  What hasn't changed is our need for prayer in our nation.  If we believe that God has ordained the founding of our nation, to operate in His principles, then we should pray and act toward its preservation.  That idea unfortunately has been called "Christian nationalism" and idolatry by evangelical elites - I believe that we are blessed to be part of this incredible experiment in liberty and self-governance that has been sustained for almost a quarter of a millennium.  We need to pray for America.

Christina Stanton has personally experienced two American trials - an eyewitness to the horror of 9-11 and someone who contracted the coronavirus.  Her story can be inspiring to everyone who has faced trials.  We know that God speaks to us in our difficulty and shows Himself faithful.  He did a work in her life, drawing Christina to Himself through September 11, and responded to her as she called upon the name of Jesus during COVID-19.  In our trials, we can be reminded of the power in His name.