As I sit here in front of this screen on Tuesday September 11, 2012 I can't help but reflect on what I was doing at this time on Tuesday morning 11 years ago. My morning started off the same everyday, get up, shower, eat breakfast while I watch the Today show, finish getting ready and then head off to work. I was engaged to my future wife at the time living in Tyler Texas where I was working at a fairly new job. I was going to fly back to Cleveland, Tennessee in a month to get married.
My morning went by its usual OCD like routine except that when I sat down to eat breakfast on this morning something was different. There wasn't the normal small talk between hosts on the Today show there was discussion about a plane that had it the World Trade Center. Speculation was rampant as to whjat kind of plane and why this had happened. The sky was crystal blue in NYC, in fact it was crystal blue across the country. Absolute beauty from the sun covered the whole country. The news certainly perked my interest, but I con't on with my morning routine. Then as I flipped through the channels and made it back around to NBC & the Today show I saw it. I witnessed a passenger jet traveling as fast as it possibly could fly straight into the 2nd Tower of the WTC. I couldn't help but stare in shock. My eyes didn't seem to blink for an eternity. I heard the shock and terror in the voices of the hosts on the Today Show. The video played, as it would for the rest of our lives, over and over again. The thought it me the same as it did everyone else in our country at that moment, we were under attack.
I continued to get ready for work becasue it had not been called off. I listened as a reporter from the Pentagon broadcasted that it too had just been hit. Reports started racing in the another plane or planes were headed for Washington D.C. and that the FAA had ordered all planes to land at the nearest airport. When I got to work I saw the first tower come crumbling to the ground. Then just a few minutes later I witnessed the second one fall. These large towers that were believed to withstand anything now looked like a tower of blocks falling to the floor. The world watched at almost 3,000 people lost their lives. Our shock and horror of the days events turned into fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of tomorrow. Fear of what possibly lied ahead.
In our study from this past weeks College Connect Group we looked at how Jesus overcame the fears of his disciples. In Matthew 14:22-36, we see fear overtake the disciples as they are caught in a vicious storm on the Sea of Galilee. Then Jesus comes walking towards them on the water and calls out to them. The disciples at first think he is a ghost, but then recognize his voice. Peter calls out & says, "If that is you Jesus command me to walk to you." Jesus does and Peter steps out of the boat onto the water and starts walking to Jesus. He could walk on the water becaue he was focused on Jesus. But Peter would take his focus off of Jesus becasue he remembered the storm that was raging around him. Fear then took over Peter and he began to sink. Peter screamed for Jesus to rescue him which Jesus did. Jesus asked Peter where his faith was and then asked the disciples why they doubted.
There are 5 ways that Jesus casted out the disciples fears and ours too.
1. Jesus is in control: He is in control over creation and in the circumstances of our daily lives. Nothing happens that God is unaware of.
2. Jesus Never Shows Up Too Late: His timing is perfect. we let the storms of our life block us from seeing him.
3. Jesus Wants To Protect Us: He is our protection. With him on our side we can fight knowing that we won't be fighting forever or alone.]
4. Jesus' Love Trumps Fear Any Day: In your most scary and difficult circumstances, Jesus is always available to come to your rescue. When you feel like your faith couldn't be any weaker, Jesus' love is as strong as you'll ever need to be.
5. Jesus' Power Is God's Power, & It's Unmatched: The magnitude of God's power should never get old. When we're reminded of God's power in the midst of our fears, our response should be like the disciples: We should worship him.
After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, this is exactly what the body of Christ did, we worshipped him. If we continued in fear, we would let that overcome us and then our focus would always be on us. Instead, we remembered that God is in control, put our focus back on Christ as he pulled us back up and worshipped him. We need to remember that in all that we do, in all that happens in our life we must continually praise Jesus. When we do that we know that He has conquered all of our fears.
No comments:
Post a Comment