Do You Remember?

It was another beautiful autumn day in North Mississippi where I live. I got up early as usual and went to my factory job just like any other weekday morning, but this day was to be drastically different from any other day I had lived.

I was a quality inspector in a furniture factory at the time working in the fabric receiving area of the building. It was normal for the crew I worked with to have a radio blasting something. That morning a local country music station had been chosen. suddenly about the middle of the morning, the music was interrupted for a news broadcast from ABC Radio News. This was highly unusual because this particular station was one of those all music stations that did not normally have news during the day.

The news reporter said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. We thought at first that a small plane had gone out of control and had hit the building. We soon realized that was not what had happened at all as more news came. Then we heard that a second plane had struck and we learned the awful truth that we had been attacked. Two passenger jets had hit the World Trade Center.

As each update came on the radio, the news became worse and worse. First one tower then the other collapsed trapping many Americans in the rubble. Our lives had changed forever.

Even though it has been 10 years since that awful day, the events that transpired that day and the days that followed are forever imprinted in my mind. The attack happened on a Tuesday and that night in our small town all the churches in town were open and people were in those churches praying. I remember that my family and I were scheduled to sing that night for revival services in my parents church. That was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but God saw us through.We were able to minister the hope of Jesus that night in that congregation.

In the days that followed, the company I worked for held voluntary prayer services around the company flag pole every day. Almost all the employees participated at one time or another. Church attendance rose as people sought the comfort of church attendance.

By the end of the second month after September 11th, church attendance was pretty much back to normal. For people in my area of the country it was back to business as usual. God was forgotten or at the least pushed to the back burner for many. I,  however, cannot forget that easily. I cannot forget the horror of that time, the bravery of the police, fire, and rescue workers in New York and Washington, the fears of my youngest daughter who slept in the room with me and my wife for a week after out of fear.

But we as a nation seems to have forgotten, or at least we don’t remember the day like we should. September 11 is just another day in the history of this nation to so many people. Even the politicians now make speeches and try to spin the story of that time to make their beliefs and philosophies look good instead of treating the day like it should be treated.It is no longer politically correct in this nation to talk of the positive things that went on in this country after 9/11.

So here we are ten years later and this country hasn’t learned the lesson on September 11 as a day when God himself lifted the hedge around this country to let us know that we are going down the wrong road. We have forgotten the truth of this day.Now we look to Washington to solve our problems when God is the only one who can solve our problems. May God again have mercy on our nation. I pray that it doesn’t take another 9/11 or worse to turn this country back to God.

DO YOU REMEMBER?

If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and heal their land.  2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV

Heavenly Father,

Forgive us this day for our sins and the sins of our nation. We pray that you will heal our land and restore this nation to the greatness we once enjoyed. Father we remember those who gave their lives 10 years ago today. May their lives not be lost in vain. Amen.