911 Where Was God?

Sequim Bible Church September 16, 2001

911 WHERE WAS GOD?!

Luke 13:1-5

As long as each one of us lives, we will not forget the ruthless and gutless attack by fanatic terrorists on innocent hard-working Americans and upon our country.

Just as, December 7, 1941, is remembered nearly sixty years later as "A Date Which Will Live in Infamy," so will, September 11, 2001, live on in our thinking!

I don’t know about you, but I experienced all sorts of emotions throughout this week. Even now I must confess that I have a sort of numb feeling. I considered not saying anything at all this morning. Even as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the reality, is beyond comprehension!

DISBELIEF

Throughout the day on Tuesday, I had a numb feeling of disbelief. When Matthew, my son came into my bedroom to tell me what had happened as he was listening to his radio, I dismissed it, thinking he had misunderstood what was said.

In moments I found the horrible reality of just how true this event was that was unfolding! As I drove to the church, the streets of Sequim were nearly empty.

FEAR

Next, a certain amount of fear was experienced. For some it might have been apprehension.

What was going to happen next?

Would the attacks continue?

What does this mean for America?

ANGER AND RAGE

Anger was also very real. Someone has to pay for this great evil perpetrated upon our citizens.

How dare these individuals do this to civilians?

Do we know who did this?

Why haven’t the jets taken off to bomb these terrorists?

Can’t we use a small, tactical nuclear missile?

The comic strip character, Hagar the Horrible gave this advice to his son:

"Son, don’t let the sun go down on your wrath…Attack your enemy at once

and waste him while what he did to you is still fresh in your mind."

THEN, THE ENDLESS LIST OF QUESTIONS STARTED TO BE ASKED BY THE MEDIA!

Where was our Intelligence Agency?

Where was Congress who could have appropriated more money for better intelligence?

Where was the Airport Security?

Why didn’t the FBI acts on leads given to them by the CIA?

Then, BINGO! The question that you knew someone was going to ask – Where Was God?

WHERE WAS GOD ON 9-11-01?

Was He too Busy?

Didn’t He care?

Is He judging America?

Or, are the skeptics right after all, it is because God doesn’t exist?

Raw, undiluted evil, terrorizing our lives is too much for us to handle. It doesn’t fit into our thinking! Those of you whose parents tried to teach you how to pray since you were a child might remember:

"God is great, God is good.

Let us thank Him, for our food."

Amen!

GOD IS GREAT!

We say that He is:

Omnipotent (All-powerful)

Omniscient (All-knowing)

Omnipresent (Everywhere Present)

GOD IS GOOD

We believe that God is good. We speak about His attributes of love, mercy, righteous, justice and grace.

Evil is just too hard for us to comprehend!

Philosopher David Hume made this observation:

"Is He willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then He is impotent.

Is He able, but not willing? Then He is malevolent.

Is He both able and willing: Whence then is evil?"

David Hume – Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Part 10

COULD IT BE THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE REALITY OF EVIL?

"The animal fable Watership Down tells of a colony of wild rabbits uprooted from their homes by a construction project. As they wander, they come across a new breed of rabbits huge and beautiful, with sleek, shiny hair and perfect claws and teeth. How do you live so well? The wild rabbits ask. Don’t you forage for food? The tame rabbits explain that food is provided for them, in the form of carrots and apples and corn and kale. Life is grand and wonderful.

After a few days, however, the wild rabbits notice that one of the fattest and sleekest of the tame rabbits has disappeared. Oh, that happens occasionally, the tame rabbits explain. But we don’t let it interfere with our lives. There’s too much good to enjoy. Eventually, the wild rabbits find that the land is studded with traps, and death ‘hangs like a mist’ over their heads. The tame rabbits, in exchange for their plush, comfortable lives, had willingly closed their eyes to one fact: the imminent danger of death.

…The presence of suffering vastly complicates that lifestyle – unless we choose to wear blinders, like the tame rabbits."

WHERE IS GOD WHEN IT HURTS?, pgs. 68-69, Philip Yancey

People of every generation have asked questions like the ones being asked this morning.

LOOK AT LUKE 13:1-5 Two different types of disasters took place. Each disaster represents the two main categories of evil in our world.