Author Note:
Every year around this time, I find myself back at this reflection. I wrote it five years ago — sharing it again because some things never fade, and in memory of those whose lives were lost.
Remembering 9/11
No matter what mess we humans choose to create, we can trust that God is always in the middle of it!
They say that every generation has one traumatic event that they will never forget, and this was mine. So here is my reflection on 9/11…
A Mother’s Remembrance
I remember being home with my kids, aged 3 and just 5 months, watching all these horrifying events unfold on live TV. The events were so shocking you could hardly process it all, leaving even the news anchors speechless. Live pictures of planes ramming the towers, explosions, the towers crumbling before our eyes, people jumping to their deaths to escape, heavy debris and dust covering people and city streets.
And the helpers. Always the helpers, rushing into the chaos instead of away, giving their lives to try to help. Firemen, policemen, priests.
I took Josh for an innocent “leaf” walk down the street to escape the news coverage, and remember seeing one lone plane still flying in the brilliant blue sky. I wondered why it was still out, since all flights had been grounded. I watched it turn and change direction somewhat north of us. I assumed that it was returning to the airport… until we found out about the last hijacking, and the timing of that plane, which turned around over our CLE airspace.
Just remembering this day still brings up all the emotions and trauma. There was so much uncertainty about how many were hijacked, where the next attack would be, where they took President Bush, how to account for all the planes except to call for a complete ground-stop of flights, who was responsible for this evil, etc., etc.
The horror extended well beyond that one long day, into the next week and months. All the families searching the hospitals for days, hoping to find missing loved ones. We were thrust into a new “war against terror”; there was the “anthrax scare” that next week; the national day of mourning/remembrance; and new flight restrictions that completely changed our travel. There were weeks and months of cleanup at Ground Zero and the Pentagon and in PA. And our world was forever changed.
It was hard to sleep those first few weeks without waking up throughout the night trying to process all that occurred. How can a good God allow such horrible evil on the earth?
Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world where sin gets ahold of us, and people make their choices. This is why God sent us a Savior, the Lord Jesus. God can and will take evil events and turn them around for good. He can redeem them all in ways we can’t immediately see.
But we can trust Him. Even when I couldn’t sleep those first few weeks, I felt the Lord’s “peace that passes all understanding” like a cover over me. And there were other reminders that He was in it with us, like a twisted metal cross, and the one lone desk left standing with a Bible open on it.
Leaning into Trust
God used the horrible events of 9/11 to draw me into a closer walk of trust with Him, along with Psalm 91.
We aren’t guaranteed a life without trauma and pain down here, but we ARE guaranteed a Savior to bring us out and over it.
For that, we can be thankful.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Ps. 91:2, ESV
How about you? Can you trust Him with the awful events in life, as well as the good times? What has been a turning point in your walk of faith that has grown your trust in God?
Remember to keep your eyes open for all the little ways that God is in the chaos of the world with you.
For Worship:
A throwback to this time period: Twila Paris’ God is in Control
Photo credits: 1) Michael Matloka and 2) Aidan Bartos and 3) Ray Galatas on Unsplash, and 4) unknown press from FB, saved on my camera roll
English Standard Version (ESV)
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Twila Paris! A timeless reminder. And a young Amy Grant. Your thoughts and experience of this day on our history bring memories. Silence in the skies. Horror on the TV. And a strong message from Pres Bush. Full churches. Thanks for the reminder to pray for our country.