Sovereign In Terror

Romans 8 poses a question:
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

We can have hope in our hearts because of the steadfast love of the Lord.  We pick up in verse 37.
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved 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.

Words from Romans 8 were spoken by former President George W. Bush in the service following 9-11 at the National Cathedral.  In Montgomery, I remember standing in front of the Alabama State Capitol in a gathering at which the late Carmen Falcione quoted from that chapter.  We need to be reminded, in times of trial or triumph, of the assurance of God's presence with those who come to Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Times of grief and loss can be an opportune time for us to show and share the love of God. 

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We can have hope in the Lord because of His great love for us and faithfulness to His people. Paul experienced that faithfulness, which produced hope in his life; he wrote in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4:
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

For a young man attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the events of September 11, 2001 were pivotal. He recounts: "I remember a friend of mine came out and said, ‘Did you just hear? A plane crashed into the World Trade Center,’” adding, “So, a plane, I’m thinking, like, a Cessna. We walk up and there’s a TV in the corner of my physics classroom. And we’re watching the smoke billowing out, and I’m like, ‘That’s not a Cessna.’”

He went on to serve in Afghanistan, where he was not only fighting for the military, but who was involved in ministry work there in the turbulent times surrounding the U.S. withdrawal from that country.

Just days after the tragic events of 9-11, his grandfather stood on a podium and delivered these words:

Today we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be defeated by their twisted and diabolical schemes. Some day those responsible will be brought to justice.

But today we come together in this service to confess our need of God. We’ve always needed God from the very beginning of this nation. But today we need Him especially. We’re involved in a new kind of warfare. And we need the help of the Spirit of God.

The Bible says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”

As you are probably aware, that was from the sermon given at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC by the late Billy Graham, which was published at BillyGraham.org. While he stressed the importance of viewing the devastating events through spiritual eyes and trusting in God, his grandson, Edward Graham was a student at West Point and fought in Afghanistan in the War on Terror. 

Meanwhile, Edward Graham now serves in ministry with his father, Franklin Graham, through the international Christian relief organization, Samaritan's Purse. I quoted from him earlier, from another piece at BillyGraham.org which featured comments from an interview on the Fearless podcast, hosted by his sister, Cissie Graham Lynch.  That article went on to say:

Lynch shared how she knew the attack would change the trajectory of her brother’s career and life.

“Your whole career was defined by this war in Afghanistan,” Lynch said, referencing all the things that happened during his time in the military. “You got married. You’ve raised your family. You’ve lost friends.”

That article echoed the theme that was touched on by Billy Graham in the National Cathedral sermon:

A tragedy like 9/11 can have a deep impact on our walk with God. We may question why a loving God would allow such a horrible event to happen.

But through it all, Lynch said, God is still sovereign.

“My hope was never in man, but in Jesus Christ,” Graham added. “God’s in control, but I pray for a miracle in Afghanistan.”

Graham works for Samaritan’s Purse, which is assisting Afghans in need who have escaped from the evil grip of the Taliban.

Billy Graham said, "I have been asked hundreds of times why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I do not know the answer. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and that He is a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering."

But, he left the attendees that day by emphasizing hope that comes through Christ:

Yes, there is hope. There is hope for the present because the stage, I believe, has already been set for a new spirit in our nation.

We desperately need a spiritual renewal in this country, and God has told us in His Word time after time that we need to repent of our sins and return to Him, and He will bless us in a new way.

There also is hope for the future because of God’s promises. As a Christian, I have hope, not just for this life, but for heaven and the life to come. And many of those people who died this past week are in heaven now. And they wouldn’t want to come back. It’s so glorious and so wonderful. That is the hope for all of us who put our faith in God. I pray that you will have this hope in your heart.

It was 22 years ago today - can you believe it?  And, while we were certainly hoping for a spiritual renewal to occur, with the catalyst being the 9-11 tragedy, it seems as a nation, we did not learn.  The COVID pandemic, while it held a certain amount of promise, as well, that people would turn to God in the midst of tragedy, we are still seeing the Church as a whole trying to get back on its feet.

But enough of the pessimism, right?  As Billy Graham said, "There...is hope for the future because of God’s promises."  We serve a faithful God who has provided a way for us to know Him, to be forgiven, to be redeemed.  I think about the dual message of the Old Testament directed at the people of Israel - 1) you have sinned against God, but 2) God loves you and is still reaching out.  That message is true for us today.  The Bible teaches in Romans 3 that all of us, without exception, have sinned against Almighty God, but...we can find forgiveness and victory by placing our trust in Jesus Christ.

He is the One who gives us the promise of eternal life in heaven and abundant life today.  He speaks to us even through our pain, tragedy, and disappointment and says to us that He loves us and desires for us to know a Savior who died for us.  While some would try to hold God responsible for human suffering and allow that to keep them apart from Him, we recognize that He is sovereign, and even in our difficulty, He is showing us His love and extending the invitation to come into His presence and trust Him.  One of the lessons of 9-11 is that through unspeakable destruction, we can trust in the One who can restore us.