In the face of evil...pray

Yesterday, May, 2, 2011, we found out that the most hunted terrorist in the world, Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the unprovoked 9/11/2001 attacks on our country, was finally been hunted down and killed in Pakistan by an elite force of American Navy Seals.

I will never forget the mayhem that overtook our country those 9 1/2 years ago, when the World Trade Towers were struck and fell, the Pentagon was attacked and those brave Americans overtook hijacked flight 93, also headed for Washington, and drove it into the ground in Pa. Almost 3,000 American souls were lost on that tragic day, making it the worse tragedy on American soil, ever. Can any of us, ever forget? I know I never will.

I remember well where I was when when I saw those horrible images on TV. I was absolutely mortified. I was scared, I was heartbroken. It was hard to fathom what was happening. It was a totally surreal moment, I'm sure for all of us. That kinda stuff just didn't happen in America, it always happened in all those other countries...you know -  over there.

But it did happen here in America on September 11, 2001 and it was pure evil. My first thought was sheer panic, thinking about all the people lost and then I thought about my own kids and husband. Even though I live many miles from NYC or Washington or PA., the President of the United States, George W. Bush, was down here, about 5 miles from our house, reading to a local elementary school class, when he got the news. Would he be the next target? Was our city going to be the next one hit? Was there going to be bomb dropped or a plane crashing somewhere in Sarasota too?

So I began to pray, like I had never prayed before. I prayed for the people who died instantly, not knowing when they woke up that morning, that their life would end in an instant I prayed for their souls. I asked God to give them mercy and give their families peace in the midst of all the terror. I prayed for the safety of our President and others leaders in our country and I prayed for the safety of my own family. I prayed for our military and all the first responders to this terrible "thing: that had happened. As I watched in horror as the reports just kept getting worse and worse each minute on the TV screen. I asked God to watch over our Nation in this deep hour of despair.

But, in the midst of tragedy I also remember being tremendously proud of our citizens, and crying when I saw the members of Congress standing on the steps of the Capital and singing "God Bless America." Thousands of us lined up in blood banks to help victims of the disaster. People in the NYC, Washington and Pa. were reaching out to help find victims and provide food for the rescue workers in their gruesome tasks.

In our grief and in our worst hours, all of us Americans seem to pulled together and cling to each other and to God Almighty. Church attendance began to climb in the days after the attack. We were reaching out to the Lord, asking him to protect us and help deal with our grief. We prayed for our leaders and each other. The United States of America is a nation that was founded on Christian principles, but it seems like sometimes it takes something terrible to happen for us to reach out to God and ask for his help. But pray we did, and God slowly began to heal our land.

Almost 10 years have passed since that terrible day happened to America. Ground Zero is now being rebuilt and the new Freedom Towers are fully under construction. Life goes on, people rebuild their lives and move forward. But for the those who lost their loved ones that day, or to the military families who sent their sons and daughters off to find that lunatic who perpetrated this atrocity on America, this thought of Osama Bin Laden, was still living in their heart, hanging over their heads or in the back of their minds each day - until yesterday. Obama is Dead, the headlines screamed!

I don't know about you, but for me, hearing about all this again and seeing many of the same images again, after all these years, began to unsettle me. I was glued to the TV again most of the day yesterday, just like I was on Sept. 11, 2001. Although this was a clear victory for our country, I began thinking about all the victims of that one man. I can't begin to imagine the hurt and anguish their families have endured because of his actions. Their loved ones were snatched from them by the evil residing in him. Thank you God that he is gone. Thank you that he is not here to perpetrate any more evil actions on innocent victims. There is justice in the world, and we will all sleep a little sounder in the days, months and years to come, won't we?

We live in a scary world. There is evil all around us. Osama Bin Laden was just one man, and there are lots more where he came from. So, what do we do in the face of evil all around us? What can we possibly do? We are each just one person floating around this Universe in this particular time in history. How can we possibly make any difference in the light of everything going on around us? I mean, let's get real. What happened yesterday was a positive for the world, but there are still a lot of people out there that want to harm us Americans.

But, I believe we CAN make a HUGE difference in the outcome of our lives and in the outcome of the course of our nation. We can pray. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says

" 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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

I am glad that Osama Bin Laden cannot hurt anymore people. That is a good thing. Maybe his demise will start to mend some wounds, and that is a good thing too, but the evil that existed in Him is still around, so we need to pray. 

We need to pray for God to begin the healing for those families that lost so much on 9/11. We need to pray for protection for our military that is still out there facing that evil every day. We need to pray for our President and our other leaders to make good, Godly decisions in protecting our nation and we need to pray for ourselves and our own walk with God. 

Everyday, we make many choices in our lives. We can choose to live good upright lives, seeking God's face, or we can choose to go our own way. But the Bible instructs us to follow God's word to find true life in Matthew 7:13-14:

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it." 

I choose the narrow gate. It isn't easy, but it's the only road that leads to true life on earth through you. I choose to make my daily walk with the Lord in faith, seeking his will for my life, even in the midst of the chaos of the world we all live in. Please Lord, bring others to seek the narrow gate that leads to eternal life and you.

My verses for today are above in red.

My prayer for today:

Holy God: 

Thank you Lord that Osama Bin Laden is no longer a threat to the world. Thank you that the operation went off smoothly and there were no casualties among our own men. Please give peace to the hearts of those families whose fates were forever changed that day. Please protect all our military who face evil every day to keep our country safe. Please give wisdom to our President and to our leaders. Help us Lord, to turn from our ways so you will protect us and heal our land. Help me to always choose the narrow gate that leads to you.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen