"…For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still," Isaiah 5:25

At 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, September 11th 2001, the people of the United States of America came face to face with a reality so horrifying that for many, denial is the only possible human response. As though it were straight from the dragon's lair, we saw, and in reality, continue to see, in living color the incorrigibly evil depravity of the human nature. From the Towoer Terror and Homicide bombers, who were ignorantly driven by their god of hate, to the useless theologians and worthless philosophers, who have continued to offer meaningless words of vain reason, the empty evil of man is glaring for all the world to see. The glory of it is that the world has seen it. The tragedy of it, has been the response to what they have seen. In the first few moments, days, and weeks after the World Trade Center, towers 1 and 2, along with the Pentagon and flight 93, were atacked by hijackers, and hellish images were rammed into our memories, we as a nation, initially responded with a Holy reflex. Like something appearing in the corner of our eye and capturing our attention, America's first reaction was to look up. We were attacked, people were killed, our leaders were confused, and a sense of helpless horror caused our nation to look up and cry out. Not one plane, but four, and the uncertainty of countless more. The sky was falling and falling hard, and there was nothing anyone could do but pray. In fact, God Bless America signs, flags, and patriotic spiritual songs went up from coast to coast and border to border. The President even quoted scripture on national television. The sentiment and emotion was so strong that even the ACLU put themselves on a restraining order. The Spiritual Morale in America had just received an adrenaline shot, that would loudly declare that we are One Nation Under God, and that's our story and we're sticking to it. For a little while.

Within a few short months, things didn't just go back to normal, they seemingly went back to worse than normal. In the last 12 months we have witnessed our Pledge of Allegiance attacked by our own justice system. We have seen the surveys that suggest that now more Americans show favorable opinions of the religion of Islam, than ever before, while at the same time have a more negative opinion of the God of the Bible. For a few brief moments Right and Wrong existed again. Black and White were clear, but after a little while the Gray has come back. America has looked up, cried out and shaken her fist at the only God who can help her. What happened? Why did the "Revival" die out so quickly? On a day that shook the very foundations of complacency, and demanded that people look into their soul and examine the reality of humanity, the very first reactions were to look up. Why did it not last? Why did it backfire? Why do people blame, God?

In September, PBS will be airing a special "Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero." The special deals with the "faith struggle" of many people who were there that horrible day. To quote one man interviewed, "I consider myself a good Christian, but my view of a benevolent God has forever changed. He is not a benevolent God, He is a barbarian." Another lady, who is a self proclaimed atheist declared, "If there was ever a time that I wished there was a higher power it has been this last year, I would love for there to be one, but I just can't believe it."

As we look at the "Day the Nation Looked Up", we have to ask the question, why has our culture responded the way thay have concerning God during the aftermath? The first reason is because by course of nature men would rather reject Holy Divinity than accept Human Depravity. Jesus said in John 3:19, "…men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil." It is more comfortable for fallen man to blame God than take a look inside. Is it possible that sin is at the core cause of September 11th? Did we somehow bring this upon ourselves as a nation? For many that is a blasphemous thought. In Isaiah chapter 5, because of national sin, God removed His divinely protective hedge from around Israel, and allowed the natural consequences of thieves and animals to take over. America has somehow developed the thought that humans deserve peace and prosperity, instead of seeing it as a gift and a grace of God. On the other hand, as Jesus pointed out to the pharisees who assumed that sin was the reason for the tumbling tower of Siloam, that wasn't necessarily the case. Secondly, the hypocrisy of America is only surpassed by her arrogance. The country that demanded that God leave the class room, the courtroom, public halls and gatherings, was the same country that asked Hi,, "Where were you, when we needed you?!" Vance Havner said it most clearly when he said, "Jesus is Lord of all, or not at all!" You can't demand that He leave, and criticize Him for not being there. (He was there.) In order for us to grow, we need to ask the right questions when we look up. Instead of asking "Why me?" we may do well to ask "Why not me?" We are never as righteous as we think we are.

As with the case of Israel, when God removed His Holy Hedge, the question was answered before it was asked, "where is God?"…For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still." Last year we lifted our heads, many lifted their fists, regardless of the source of suffering, we must always bow our knees. It could have been worse, and one day will be, but for now we have a place of grace that must never be taken for granted, or assumed is deserved. We have a great land in a Great Hand. We deserve the worst, but have been given the best. Lasting revival will be, when Every Day is the Day the Nation Looks up, Listens up, and Bows down.

This page has been displayed 2 times this month, 2 times since October 11, 2008 .