PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• As it is for many, September 11th is a day that fills me with sadness. I remember where I was and the absolute shock of hearing that a plane had hit one of the towers. And it seemed so surreal as more horrific news kept coming. But this week, as much as I remember the details of 9/11, more than anything, I’ve been thinking about September 12th.
In recent years, someone wrote, “I miss the America of September 12th.” I agree.
Without getting into politics, it really is sad that in 18 short years, we’ve forgotten what it was to be united. Those days after 9/11, there was a sense of national pride to be an American. It didn’t matter if we disagreed on certain policies. What mattered was that you were an American and I was American and we were united as one nation…
In 18 short years, we’ve forgotten how to love one another even with our differences. And without love, we are divided. Colossians 3:12-14 says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (ESV).
Putting on love doesn’t mean we agree with everything. But it means we respect each other. And it means we’re united in our common care for humanity, our communities, and our country. Whether Christian or not, the root of any successful relationship has to include these things—compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, forgiveness, and above all, love.
And without love, we can’t have the others.
As I reflect on what happened 18 years ago, versus where we are today, I can’t help but wonder what the 2,977 people who died would say today. All those last phone calls made that day—they weren’t self-seeking calls with agendas. They were calls of love. They were calls of courage. They were calls meant to unite, even if for one last moment.
It takes a strength of character to love through our differences. And as I reflect on the America that was the most united version of itself that I’ve ever known, I realize how little character we have. If I disagree with someone, our America today says I hate them. That’s simply not true.
But what is true is that our country needs unity. And there’s no better unity than there is in Christian love. What we need, what we desperately need, is revival.
We need the men and women of faith to boldly share the Gospel, without fear of rejection and without fear of offending. We live in this delicate, fragile society that threatens to crack under the slightest criticism but love doesn’t mean that we don’t speak truth. And the truth is we have forgotten to love united.
Many social media posts today will proclaim “Never forget.” Unfortunately, we already have. But it’s time to remember. It’s time to show the love of Jesus. He is our only hope.
Today, as you pray, thank God for being love. Ask for His forgiveness on our country that has turned its back on Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to sweep our nation and our world with a revival for Jesus—the only hope we have to truly be united. And dare I even hope… please pray that we can once again be “One Nation Under God.”
