I remember

I remember when the Middle East seemed like a very distant land. I remember when Americans took privacy in their personal lives for granted. I remember when I might show up at the airport 15 minutes before my flight and walk right on board with a bottle of my own water and a penknife in my pocket. 

 

A lot changed 25 years ago.

 

I remember staring at a TV screen for hours. I remember a spontaneous prayer gathering at my church. I remember seeing members of Congress—Democrats and Republicans—standing on the steps of the Capitol Building singing, “God Bless America.”

 

On September 11, 2001, we were reminded that this world isn’t safe.  It hasn’t been safe since the fall of humanity. We live on a planet that has been hijacked by sin and evil.  This isn’t the world that God intended, and we know it.  That’s why we are so outraged by acts of violence and hatred.  We are outraged by evil because we know evil is not what human beings were created for.

 

If human beings are nothing more than products of nature, it's difficult to explain our moral outrage at violence. Nature can be beautiful, but it is also violent. Animals kill. The strong often prey on the weak. Yet human beings possess a deep conviction that violence, hatred and injustice are not the way things ought to be.

 

We long for a time when it wasn't like this—and when it won't be like this again. The Bible says that we are made in the image of God, and I think we all carry within us a longing for the way things were meant to be.

 

There was a time when humanity walked closely with God, but we rejected Him.  And when we look inside ourselves honestly, we know that there is violence in our hearts.  We have the same potential for violence and hatred as those who plotted to destroy us.  There is something dark within the human heart. 

 

It’s not just in the hearts of terrorists.  

 

It’s in me.  

 

And it’s in you.

 

When everything around us is shaken, we need somewhere—and Someone—to turn to. I must remember that God is our refuge.

 

Psalm 62:5–7

 

 

For me, September 11 has always had another meaning.  On September 11, 1973, I first prayed something like this:

 

Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins.  I believe your Son Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life and die to pay the penalty that I deserve.  Your Word says that salvation is a free gift for those who trust in Jesus.  I repent of my sins, and promise to follow Jesus for the rest of my life.

 

Until 2001, September 11 meant only one thing to me: it was the day I gave my life to Christ. September 11 is my spiritual birthday.

 

Terrorism, and all the other problems of the world, will not be ultimately solved by education. Education is good, but education alone cannot change the human heart. Our military is necessary, and we honor the courage and sacrifice of those who serve, but even the strongest military cannot change the human heart. A healthy economy is a blessing, but prosperity cannot change the human heart.

 

The good news of the gospel is that God did not abandon us to the darkness in our hearts. He came to us in Jesus Christ, offering forgiveness, transformation and the hope of a world made new.

 

Only God can change the human heart.

 

And it starts with each one of us.

 

In my heart.

 

And yours.