Where Was God?

On this 15th Anniversary of 9-11-01, Let us remember…

September 11, 2001 terrorism came to the United States.

On that day, 4 coordinated terrorist attacks brought major destruction and fear to U.S. soil.

The terror attacks on September 11, 2001 killed 2,996 people and injured over 6,000 more.

Four passenger airliners were used for the terrorist attacks.

Each of the four planes took-off on the East Coast and were bound for California.

A team of 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked the four planes.

Two of the planes (AA Flight 11 and United Flight 175) were crashed into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.

Within 1 hour and 42 minutes of the crashes, both towers collapsed.

The debris and fires caused by the collapse of the Twin Towers also caused partial or complete destruction of all other buildings in the World Trade Center Complex including the collapse of WTC 7.

The third plane (AA Flight 77) was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

The fourth plane (United Flight 93) was hi-jacked and steered toward Washington, D.C. but crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after the passengers of that flight overtook the hijackers.

September 11, 2001 was the deadliest incident in the history of the U.S. for firefighters and law enforcement officers. On that day, 343 firefighters and 72 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty.

Our world changed that day!

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

God doesn’t want us to live in fear.

Isaiah 43:1-7 NKJV But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.

² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

³ For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

⁴ Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored,

And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you,

And people for your life.

⁵ Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west;

⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth—

⁷ Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

4 REASONS FOR FAITH IN GOD…

1. God’s investment in us.  

a) He created us.

¹ But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.

           

Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Psalm 139:13-16 NIV For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

b) He redeemed us.

¹ But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.

³ For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

The Lord has purchased us at a great cost to Himself.

John 3:16 NIV "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Romans 4:25 NLT He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Romans 5:6 NLT When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:10 NLT For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

Romans 8:32 NLT Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

This is the highest expression of love of which we can conceive.

It shows the depth of the love of God, that he was willing to give his only Son into the hands of sinful men that he might be slain, and thus redeem them from eternal sorrow. (from Barnes' Notes.)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

We belong to Jesus… we have no right to do whatever we want!

The Boat in the Window

A young boy spent many hours building a little sailboat, crafting it down to the finest detail. He then took it to a nearby river to sail it. When he put it in the water, however, it moved away from him very quickly. Though he chased it along the bank, he couldn’t keep up with it. The strong wind and current carried the boat away. The heartbroken boy knew how hard he would have to work to build another sailboat.

Farther down the river, a man found the little boat, took it to town, and sold it to a shopkeeper. Later that day, as the boy was walking through town, he noticed the boat in a store window.

Entering the store, he told the owner that the boat belonged to him. It had his own little marks on it, but he couldn’t prove to the shopkeeper that the boat was his. The man told him the only way he could get the boat was to buy it. The boy wanted it back so badly that he did exactly that.

As he took the boat from the hand of the shopkeeper, he looked at it and said, “Little boat, you’re twice mine. I made you and I bought you.”

Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of his glory.

We are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.

2. God’s intimate relationship with us.    

a) We are precious to Him.

⁴ Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored,

And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you,

And people for your life.

Jeremiah 31:3 NIV84 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

           

1 John 3:1 NIV84 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  — God loves us, how much do we love Him back?

3. God’s intentions toward us are good.

² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

– God will always be with us when we go through:

– waters of great affliction.    

– rivers that challenge us.

– fires of great trial.

WHEN - it’s not if you go through these life experiences, He said WHEN you go through them!     – THROUGH - God says you’re just going to pass through these experiences —you’re not going to stay!

God will pull you through, if you can stand the pull. — GOD’S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT!

“If I stand let me stand on the promise that you will pull me through. If I can’t let me fall on the grace that first brought me to you” – Rich Mullins

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Isaiah 46:9-10 NIV Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. ¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

4. God’s inspiration in us to build faith.

a) ³ For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

— “For I am the Lord, your God,

            — He’s an unchangeable God

            —His character is a proven character.

Malachi 3:6 NIV "I the LORD do not change… "

Psalms 102:25-27 NIV In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. ²⁶ They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. ²⁷ But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

Hebrews 13:8 NIV Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

b) ³ For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

– the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...” – God’s power can deliver us.

c) ⁵ Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west;

⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth—

⁷ Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

– “Do not be afraid, I am with you;”

Isaiah 41:13 NKJV For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’

There will be times when we do not feel God where we are, but rest assured God knows where you are —He has not left you.

Closing e-mail: Where was God?

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news, Sept. 11, 2001… Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Good-Bye." I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK...I am ready to go." I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said. "Of course I will show you the way home-only believe on Me now."
I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.
I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there. Comforting and assuring them that their Faith has saved them.

I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name-though they did NOT all know Me. Some met me for the first time on the 100th floor. Some sought me out in their last breath. Some couldn't hear me calling to them through the smoke and flames, "Come to Me...this way...take my hand."

Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me… But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day--you may not know why, But I DO. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well.

Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go." I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

Isaiah 55:6, 7 NIV Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.