Those of us who were old enough to understand will never forget hearing the first reports of planes flying into the Twin Towers and watching heart-stopping photos like these.
The horror of it seemed beyond understanding.
Over 3,000 Americans that beautiful September morning never made it home.
Each one had family and friends who loved them, who ached to hear their dear one tell them, "I'm okay."
But when their phones finally rang, that's not what the voice on the other end told them.
Tragedy usually is like that--out of the blue
Life is a risky proposition. Being alive, feeling safe in our situation, is more fragile than we know.
It lasts until . . .
Until tragedy strikes close to home. A teenage son or daughter is killed in an accident. Our parent or spouse is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. A two-year old grandchild is diagnosed with leukemia.
Until something happens that shakes us to our core. Maybe we felt safe in our healthy living habits and patted ourselves on the back for resisting those "dastardly" foods we once loved, pushing ourselves to stay fit.
Then came that symptom. Or that test. That calm, impersonal voice saying, "I'm sorry to tell you, but . . . . "
That's when our inner self screamed, "No! Not me! Not mine!"
Yet it was us. It was our loved one. And no amount of weeping or talking or consulting specialists could make it go away.
At last we understood there was nothing to do but get through it and count on God's strength in Christ to carry us along.
Then like Job, we endlessly replay our situation and cry out to God
I'm no theologian, but one thing I know. Job let it all hang out with God. He expressed his pain and frustration and his not-knowing-ness in stark language.
Job had reason to wail. Not long before he "had it all" and lost everything, including his seven sons and three daughters.
All of them (Job 1.)
Then came Job's health, another casualty. Everyone in his life blamed God, but never once did Job, even in his worst moments, curse God.
That's why God does not punish Job for his honest outpourings of pain.
If you've ever studied the book of Job you know that God finally spoke to Job in chapters 38-41.
Chapter 42 tells "the rest of the story," how God indeed brought Job through his time of suffering and blessed him with more sons and daughters and long life.
God can bring us through our hard times, too
Like every other human being on earth, believers have times of suffering. Christians died on 9/11 and countless Christians suffer and die right now as refugees from persecution. Every one of us knows someone with something.
Pain and disease come not from God's hand, but because we live in a world messed up by sin ever since Genesis.
It's the human condition.
But when tragedy and trials come, one thing we know: God is for us.
If you're living your own "9/11" right now, take heart!
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. --Psalm 55:22 (NIV)
Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. -- Psalm 54:4 (NIV)
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. --Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being . . . --Ephesians3:16 (NIV)
