Fifteen years ago today, I was living in Phoenix and I had just shown up to LA Fitness for my daily workout.  Most people don’t talk much when they work out in a big city gym.  They all have their headphones in and are transfixed by the television monitors in front of them.

 

That day was different.  All at once, all the television monitors showed the same horrifying images.  Earphones came out.  For the first and only time, strangers began talking to one another.  Sitting on the stationary bike, I watched in horror as the second plane hit the World Trade Center.  It had not been an accident.  At that moment we all knew that our lives would never be the same.

 

In the weeks following the attacks, our church saw a surge of people looking for answers, crying out to God.  I’m thankful that we have not yet experienced another attack like 9/11.  I think it’s an answer to prayer, but another incident could happen at any time.

9/11 made it clear that we are more vulnerable than we think we are.  The next attack could be much worse and far more deadly.  It brings us to the sober reality that our lives last for just a moment then we face eternal realities that never end.

 

We can’t offer real hope to people by glossing over the facts or by giving false assurances that everything’s going to be alright.  In today’s world, physical safety can never be assured.  I see 9/11 as a call for all of us to re-evaluate our lives.  Are we investing our lives in the right pursuits?

 

God’s Word tells us that we’ll face tragedy, making no promise of Heaven on earth.  But, it does mention all-satisfying joy in Jesus – especially when times are tough.  9/11 is a call to consider who exactly Jesus is and what He expects from each one of us.

 

For those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, nothing can separate them from His love.  Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Real, solid hope – the only lasting hope available – is available to those who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  They are forever folded into to the love of God in a way no terrorist can ever destroy.