Thoughts of where we were and what we were doing at the moment we learned of the evil that was unleashed on our nation September 11, 2001 have surely been going through everyone's mind. Horrible images left burned into our brains of the of the hate fueled attacks resurface. The incredible sadness is relived. We were a nation in mourning. We mourn still.
I would like to share three things that I have been thinking. about the last few days. Things that happened that I believe show God was not caught unaware on September 11, 2001. He is truly omnipotent. He knows everything and is everywhere all the time. These are not miraculous stories of heroism and survival, though I have no doubt there are many of those! But these three things required attention up to a year or more before that fateful day. I should tell you that this was a time in my life when my knowledge of God and His promises was growing by leaps and bounds. When we are looking for Him at work in the world, He does not disappoint.
The World Trade Center normally had 50,000 people working within it's walls each day. Add 140,000 to that figure which is the average number of daily visitors.
There could easily have been up to 190,000 people inside, but because the attacks happened early in the morning, many people had not arrived yet. There is also story after story of people who were held up along the way to work due to many different reasons. So many schedules orchestrated right down to even the flights taken by the terrorists to minimize life lost.
There is no such thing as coincidence. God did that.
(Photo courtesy www.firefightersmuseum.org)
The following is an excerpt from an article published by the Datonian in Manhatten.
Click the pic to read the article in it's entirety.
The committee members of the Fire Fighters Memorial Foundation of Missouri worked hard to design a fitting memorial to the fire fighters throughout the state who were lost on active duty. In addition to the wall on which were inscribed the names of the fallen, the Foundation envisioned an emotionally-moving sculpture: a mourning firefighter, kneeling in grief with his helmet at his feet.
In October 2000 Matthews International Corporation of Pittsburgh received the commission to create the bronze statue. Cast in the firm’s Parma, Italy foundry, the 2,700-pound sculpture was completed nearly a year later, in August 2001. Matthews International had promised the Missouri firefighters that the statue would be delivered in October. Although the bronze was originally intended to be shipped by ocean, Matthews decided to air freight it through New York City to guarantee the delivery deadline.
The statue never made it to Missouri.
The crate arrived at Kennedy Airport on September 9, 2001 where it was held for customs clearance. Two days later Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists flew two Boeing 767 airliners into the World Trade Towers. Emergency responders rushed to the scene in a valiant attempt to save the thousands of workers in the burning structures. Among the 2,573 innocent people who were murdered that day, 343 were New York City firefighters.
The entire nation joined New Yorkers in their shock and grief; among them the firefighters of Missouri and the Matthews International Corporation employees. The Fire Fighters Memorial Foundation joined with Dave DeCarlo of Matthews International and offered the statue—which so astonishingly-well reflected the pathos of the event--to the New York City Fire Department and the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation as a gift to New York.
On September 17, the day that the Kneeling Fireman was released from Kennedy Airport, the New York Post published a full-page photograph of a New York City firefighter kneeling in the ashes of the Trade Towers. Eerily, the photograph was nearly identical to the bronze sculpture.
Me again... Do you think God would orchestrate circumstances to bring hope and comfort by such a remarkable thing happening at such a time as this? I do.
Lastly, I would like to tell you Alfred Marchand's story.
Alfred Marchand came home from work one day in the fall of 2000 and out of the blue declared that he was retiring from his 20 year career as a policeman. He was certain that God was telling him it was time for him to live his dream and become a flight attendant. Alfred had always wanted to see the world and this had always been how he dreamed he would do it. He began training for his dream job in November 2000, even though neighbors teased him and his wife tried to dissuade him."I didn't want to be away from him or move somewhere else," said Becky Marchand. "But Al was gung-ho about doing it. He was adamant, and I just had to accept it." For nearly a year, Alfred lived his dream. He was working aboard United Airlines Flight 175 that first hit the World Trade Center. We saw his wife and stepson in an interview. His wife shared the first part of this story.
Then the interviewer turned to his teenage stepson and asked, "And how does it feel seeing that plane crash into the tower over and over again on television?" The boy's answer began with "I feel proud because I know God had my Dad on that plane for a reason." He went on to share that his Dad believed in God with all his heart and never hesitated to share our need for Jesus with everyone he met that he felt needed to know. He said his Dad's light shone so brightly that people naturally flocked to him. With a sense of peace that seemed to radiate from him, the boy explained he was proud because he knew in those last moments his Dad was sharing with anyone on that plane that needed to know how to go with him to heaven that day. At the ready to lead them to Christ.
There were other stories like Alfred's those first days, but this young man's visible peace in the midst of such chaos spoke volumes. I knew that God had not forsaken us, but had not considered the fact that He was putting people and things in place long before that day. I knew without a doubt that God was in control.
Yes, God was prepared for 9/11. He was not caught unaware. He will never be caught unaware. He is always everywhere all the time. No matter what is happening in this crazy, mixed up world know that God is in control. Bad things, horrific things are going to happen, but the Bible lets us know through the story of Joseph (Genesis 50:20) that God is aware of evil and will take it and turn it for good if we but trust Him. Let's trust Him. Ultimately, God wants you to be with Him forever when you leave this earth. That is going to be nothing but good! Have you assured that will happen? Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? If you have not, come take a walk with me with me. If you have, who do you know that hasn't? Let's follow Alfred Marchand's example. Let's let our love for God shine like a beacon drawing others to us so we might share Jesus with them.
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below. 😊
See you next time~
Love,
C
* Becky Marchand quote can be found here: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/880135/Religious-faith-helps-family-cope-with-911.html?pg=all (sorry... you will have to copy and paste)
This is so amazing to me that I have to share this with you from the Deseret News article as well! God orchestrating again! He blows my mind! Wow!
Joshua Marchand found a post card of the World Trade Center in a shoe box just weeks after two jetliners slammed into the twin towers and killed his father. Underneath it was a Bible with an inscription written by his father. "Pretty soon I'm going to be in heaven, and you're going to be left to struggle here on Earth. Use this Bible for strength and wisdom in God. Love, Dad,"
*Pointing to paragraph above today - April 7, 2016 - Mind still blown!*
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