Never Forget_ Discovering Hope in the Aftermath of Tragedy [NOOK Book] - Max Lucado [6]
If the foundations are in place, if we have the Lord God as our refuge and strength, the righteous do not fear, are not moved, and cannot worry.
—CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
Why, God?
MY HEART WILL NOT FEAR
We are not a fearful people. We do not suddenly give up just because something frightens us. When I was about nine years of age, Pearl Harbor was attacked. The American response was unforgettable. Young men, barely sixteen or seventeen years old, lined up to enlist and to serve. They did not care which branch of service would take them; they only wanted to defend their nation.
When united, this country trembles before no other power. We have a national sense of courage and bravery. We have a heritage of firmness and determination that has carried us through many troubling and dangerous times. I want to remind you of this so that none of us will expect anything less from our nation than a determined, courageous response to the task ahead. Doris Dougherty captured this moment accurately when she said, “No greater tragedy can be found than that of a soul crying out ‘It’s not fair!’ and allowing the cold waters of cynicism to overflow and to drown him.” She continues that there is no greater victory than to plunge into these waters where the bottom cannot be felt, but the strong person will “swim until I can!” We may not be able to feel the bottom right now, but our country will swim until we do!
In the 1940s America began fighting a war in the Pacific and soon thereafter a war in Europe as well. Back then, America was not heavily industrialized; we were mostly a nation of farmers. We were unprepared for war, and yet we successfully fought on two fronts for four long years. The cost was devastatingly high, but we were triumphant, which says something about our bravery, determination, and national character. . . .
We have a right to be a godly people who are fearless. We have a right to be bold and confident for the simple reason that God has promised to intervene in our behalf. Does that mean that we will never suffer consequences? No, it does not. Will we always be free from hardship and adversity? Of course not. It means that when we, as individuals or as a nation, stand sovereign under the protection of God, then we can be assured that He will not fail us. No matter neither the disaster that we face nor the enemy at our gate, with our God we will be triumphant.
We can never know what transpired in the hearts and minds of those men and women who died in the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings, but I am sure that many, knowing that they were about to die, courageously committed themselves into the arms of a loving God. One whose arms were there to shield them from the steel and rubble and usher them gently to their heavenly reward.
There is an old gospel song by Charles Tindley that states, “We’ll understand it better by and by.” Only in eternity will we understand some of the mysterious ways of almighty God. Only then will we grasp the significance of His eternal plan that encompasses all of us.
—CHARLES STANLEY
When Tragedy Strikes
Hope
Never Forget . . . God Gives You Promises for a Future
LOOKING FORWARD
Death is the great equalizer, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter if we have lived on this earth as:
young or old
rich or poor
famous or unknown
educated or ignorant
powerful or weak
religious or atheistic
athletic or crippled
healthy or sickly
happy or depressed . . .
we all die.1
Still, death can come as an utterly unexpected surprise. More than five thousand men and women went to work at the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, and began what they thought was just another routine day at the office. Many of them had likely gotten a cup of coffee, sat down at their desks, rolled up their sleeves, booted up their computers,