Never Forget the Day Evil Did Not Win

There really aren't any words that can adequately describe that day or what folks went through when terrorists took to the skies and brought down buildings symbolizing freedom and personal accomplishment.

They were cowards...evil men hell bent on destroying any semblance of good or of order. 

It was what happened in the aftermath that in a peculiar way was an assault on the followers of those who had carried out these acts of hatred.  You see, in a moment of time this country pulled together in the face of evil and despair, and the very God they love to hate, showed up in miraculous ways. 

Churches filled with desperate people looking for some type...any type of consolation for their weary hearts and tattered spirits.

Our government held its head high and did not cower to infidels, but promised victory in the wake of the devastation.  Real leaders.  Men with integrity and grit.

Firefighters, law enforcement officers, trained canine units and other personnel worked effortlessly for days...weeks...and some for months, combing through the rubble, laying out the evidence of this heinous crime.  They never realized or cared that their lives were being quickly ebbed away by the toxins that poured out through the ash and carnage.  Cancer would claim many of them in the following years.

What I remember was the clean, crisp, fall-like day.  The sky was the bluest I had ever seen it.  Coming back from a college class I was taking, I received a text from my police officer husband.  "Watch the news!  We are being attacked."

Automatically a pit in the stomach surfaced.  I somehow instantly knew that my world was changing, but could not wrap my mind around the depth of the evil that had born so much destruction.

Our television ran non-stop for days; pictures of men and women taking their last breaths, crying out for help, fleeing for their lives.  Hopeless images covered in grey.  Haunting eyes revealing the eternal fear within their soul.

Yet...God.

Even in the midst of the ugliness and rubble, hope prevailed.

It was as if He stepped in at our most desperate hour.  No amount of hate could destroy or cover up the love of God.

Stories began to surface of brave men and women leading others to Christ; praying for and comforting groups of folks waiting to meet their demise.  Selfless sacrifice abounded.  Lives were given so that others may live.

In His Word, we read:

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:35-39

For those who lost their lives on that fateful day...those whom had embraced God and had clearly found forgiveness in Him, they are with our Lord and Savior, knowing no more of pain and sorrow.  They celebrate the gloriousness of His presence and bask in the hope that is offered to all.  Evil did not triumph, for God cannot be overtaken, nor those whom He holds in His righteous hand.  This, indeed, is something to celebrate!

As for each of us today, let us stop and reflect upon that day to remember those who lost their lives, but let us not stay there, for we are called not to dwell in the past, but to forge on toward the future.  The best, and most excellent way to do that is with God as our guide.  With Him, our future is secure even when it seems as if evil men succeed.  He is our Rock and Redeemer.  In Him He beckons us to put our trust.

On this day of remembrance, may you find comfort knowing that we can be victorious even in the face of evil.  God won that war a long time ago, and He will surely see it through to the end.

Blessings,
Kristi