This morning we take a pause from our Proverbs series for a special message. Yesterday was September 11, 2011, the day that marked the 10 year mark since our lives changed forever. Thousands of lives were taken on September 11, 2001 and it sparked a chain of events that continues today. This is an excerpt from President’s Bush’s address to our nation the night of the attack:
“Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror…Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me.”
It’s been 10 years, but the sting of the pain of the event is still burning today in the lives of many.
What should we do today? I believe we should:
1. Pause: We live in a high-paced society and everything needs to be done yesterday. We owe it to our fallen comrades, our wounded nation, and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and civilians who are still deployed today, to slow down long enough to remember. I know you have a lot to do, we all do, but please take a pause.
2. Ponder: Webster’s dictionary says that the word ponder means to consider and compare circumstances or consequences of an event. Take time during this pause to adequately ponder what happened.
3. Pray: In our ever-changing, always-fluid world, we must never forget to pray to the God that changes not. Pray to the God of yesterday, today, and forevermore. Pray for the families of those who have lost loved ones and for those still deployed. Take this moment to pause, ponder, and pray.
4. Press: But then, as I have shared with you so many times, we must Press! We serve a God of progression and not regression. Yes, we can take a moment to pause, ponder, and pray; but we owe it those who gave their lives to Press! The adversary sought to cripple us with this attack, but he failed. We are still standing and still Pressing! We remain strong in resolve and might, and we ever ‘Keep on Keepin’ On!’
May God bless you richly this morning and may God continue to bless America!
Closing Prayer: Father, I come to You in the name of Your Son, my Savior, Jesus the Christ, and I confidently ask You to release Your peace over all those who lost loved-ones on September 11, 2001 and over all those who have been affected since. Your peace passes all understanding and I ask for that Supernatural peace to keep us all, from the inside-out. I pray that You bless those who are still deployed fighting terrorism. Teach their fingers to fight and their hands to war. Shield and protect them as they carry out their duties. And bring them home safely, to be reunited with their family members. Keep every little boy, girl, husband, wife, brother, sister, mother, and father, as they wait for their loved one to come home. Expose the plans of the terrorists, so that we can bring them to justice. And continue to protect our nation as we seek to move forward. Thank You Father for having blessed America and I petition You to continue to do so! Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
