Sometimes The Roof Falls In.

Sometimes…the roof falls in; Sept. 11, 2001 was one of those times. (Psalm 20:7) © 2001 Dr. Jack Allen

“These attacks make us feel helpless and terrified, and can even make us think there is a force out there greater than God," says Christian counselor Steve Pettit (Steve Pettit, quoted by Jon Walker, http://www.pastors.com/pcom/specials/finalword.asp, 12 September 2001). When we see evil in living color, we may wonder who is in charge. Couldn’t God have prevented this? Doesn’t God care? Such are the questions that crises bring. Such are the unanswerable questions that all us who follow Jesus will hear in coming days. A crisis like the attack on America can make us wonder if God was off fishing last Tuesday.

People pondering evil events often fall under the spell of godless thoughts. For instance, foolish thoughts think there is no God, their thinkers grow hopeless. Satanic thoughts blame God as though he were evil, and their thinkers begin to honor the evil they fear. Shallow thoughts explain Tuesday’s tragedy as God’s judgment on America’s collective sin, which ironically mirrors the shallow ideology of the militant wing of Islam.

Biblically guided persons realize that the attack on our country was an example of godless men doing evil acts. When humans depend on godless devices to advance their agendas, their actions too often turn evil. Any of us may begin to trust in things that destroy rather than trust in God who builds up.

Where is Your Trust?

To all who ask that question, I say come near. Here’s a thought for you to ponder: in whom, or in what, do you place your trust? How about trusting in money? The attackers placed their trust in money to plan and carry out their terror. They attacked a symbol of American economic superiority--the World Trade Center.

Do you place your trust in human power? So do terrorists. Terrorists trust the power of incendiary chemicals to rain fire, glass, steel, and concrete on our cities. They attacked a symbol of American military power--the Pentagon.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalm 20:7 NIV)

Three thousand years ago, King David looked at his world and the Holy Spirit helped him draw a very important conclusion. David saw what war could do and he was impressed. He saw what money could do and that impressed him. David also saw what God could do and that gave him confidence in the future. David’s psalm represents the futility of man on his own, and the necessity of trusting God.

In the psalm the chariot represents man’s military power, but the name of our God is Banner--our God fights for his people. The horse represents man’s wealth, but the name of God is Provider--God provides for his people.

The name of the Lord our God is, in Hebrew, Yahweh--it means I AM. When God revealed his name as I AM, the Almighty implied his capability to accomplish anything (Exodus 3). God is and God can and God is all I need. History proves the truth of David’s conclusion--we will trust in the name of our God.

Throughout History, People Trust Power and Money

Not long after God created people, a man named Cain killed his brother Abel. Cain had some money and some power, but he was unsatisfied. Cain wanted to be number one. He trusted his own power and shed innocent blood. Abel lost his life to a godless enemy with power, but who really won? The end of the story tells us that Cain lived out his days in misery while Abel lived with God (Genesis 4, Hebrews 11:4).

In another nation on another day, Egypt practiced genocide on the Hebrews. Pharaoh felt his wealth and power were threatened so he killed innocent Jewish babies by the thousands. The Hebrews lost their children to a godless enemy with wealth and power, but who really won? The end of the story shows the Hebrews crossing to the promised Land while Pharaoh’s power was drowned in the Red Sea (Exodus).

In another nation on another day, 30 AD, Satan fought Jesus for control of the world. The devil offered Jesus wealth and power over all the kingdoms on the planet, and Jesus told him to go to hell. Eventually Jesus lost his life to men with wealth and power, but who really won? The end of the story shows Jesus resurrected to victory and Satan defeated forever (Revelation).

The former two questions you could easily answer by reading history. The third question requires your faith. Who won? You must answer this simple question for yourself every moment when the sirens of crisis scream through the darkness of life. Who won? If you think Jesus won, you have some hope in this world, if not, where do you place your trust?