Wednesday, September 11, 2002
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Wednesday, September 11, 2002 |
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When will we wake up? Let's pray it's now ... not later By JOHN HATCHER Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. Psalms 127:1
On the heaps of destroyed buildings and the carnage of human life, a spiritual renewal breathed new life across the great land of America. People, who never went to church, decided it was time to seek out a spiritual dimension to handle the grief, insecurity, and madness of 9/11. We saw our politically correct lawmakers bowed in humble supplication. Christian workers, who had tried for years to get a permit to conduct prayer meetings on the streets of New York City, now were encouraged to come to the streets and minister even in the name of Jesus, the resurrected one. The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. brought together political friends and foes to be comforted by mutual prayer, singing, and preaching. It was a grand sight. American became spiritual more than after Pearl Harbor, more than during the Cuban Missile Crisis, more than Dessert Storm. Our comfortable security provided by the great Atlantic and Pacific Oceans had been invaded as never before by an enemy with no country and no seat at the United Nations. In the opinion of Islamic terrorists, America the great whore and infidel had finally got a taste of the hatred harbored by many people around the world. They promise and eagerly seek even more acts of hatred toward us. Difficult as it may seem, regardless of America's attempt to feed the third world, we are a hated nation by many peoples. The President wants a cabinet department of Homeland Security. Help, it may. But, there is no real security for any people except in the name of the Lord God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus Christ. The Word of God advised any nation that unless the Lord guards America, Homeland Security is in vain. No amount of troops, security devices, and airport checks can keep us safe from tens of thousands of people who will give their lives to kill a few of our citizens. Our elected and appointed officials say the same. Yet, it took only a few months for Americans to return to their old pattern of spiritual indifference. The revival some hoped for out of 9/11 evaporated as the hot air of business as usual returned to Capitol Hill. The divergent groups who rallied around the President and Old Glory have returned to the their corners. National polls revealed what most pastors already knew: the surge in church attendance after 9/11 had returned to it previous levels, perhaps a little less. I heard a secular commentator recently say that the February 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, in which six people were killed and more than a thousand were injured, should have been the "wakeup" call for America. It wasn't. I remember that many said that the 1999 Columbine killings, in which 11 students and one teacher were gunned down in cold blood, should be a "wakeup" call for America. It wasn't. When will we wake up? "Unless the Lord keeps the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." Now, not later, should Americans open their hearts and minds to a revival of unheard proportions. Now, not later, we in the Fayette community should lock arms and say, "Now and not later." We will not wait for one more "wakeup call" before we humble ourselves before our God, our only true security. May America seek God! The Rev.
Dr. John Hatcher is pastor of |
