Photo by Jon Sailer on Unsplash

By Tom Shanklin

The heart of America is broken over the tragedy which struck our nation on September 11. We have entered a new era of history, and irrevocable change. It a  time of mourning and introspection for our nation, a time to examine our values and the things that truly make us great.

On Tuesday, it was  revealed that all the great power of the United States was useless against these hideous, treacherous, murderous attacks.  We now realize that we need a greater power. We need the power of Almighty God.

We have discovered that we are not immune from the problems of violence and hatred that have been facing people all around the globe. The United States is now in this dilemma along with the rest of the world, and divine intervention is needed.

Years ago, God spoke to King Solomon and gave him directions to follow in time of national calamity:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV).

In His love, mercy and compassion, God speaks to a nation devastated by tragedy. He desires to gather His sheep unto Himself to give comfort, healing and protection. Under the shadow of His wing we can find refuge and help in time of need.

His instructions are timeless principles of redemption, meant to bring us back to Himself to find help, comfort and healing. He said we should:

1. Humble ourselves. First, we recognize our need for God and our own inability to solve our problems.

2. Pray. Speak to our heavenly Father and entreat Him for favor and gracious deliverance from this crisis.

3. Seek His face. Be earnest and heartfelt in your prayer, looking into the face of the Lord to discover His heart of love and His will for our lives.

4. Turn from our wicked ways. Repent of sin in ourselves and our nation, that we might receive forgiveness and healing.

As we seek the Lord, we should pray for our president and national leaders, that they will have wisdom and courage from God to deal with this unprecedented time of trouble. The need for divine wisdom is overwhelming in this hour.  Man’s natural wisdom cannot solve this great dilemma. The great military power of America alone will not be sufficient to put out the fire of hatred that is burning in the world today. We must have a greater solution. . . a solution from heaven .

Now in 2001, we need God’s redeeming grace. As Christians, we know that through Jesus Christ and Him alone, we can find forgiveness of sins, mercy and restoration. We know that through the cross of Calvary, God assures us that He will forgive and heal us, if we turn to Him in true repentance and put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Through prayer, we can put ourselves on a path of healing. By the power of the blood of Jesus and we can know that our eternity is safe and secure in Him. As the scripture says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24, KJV). His suffering in our place provides our forgiveness; His punishment provides our healing.

The scripture says, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” (James 4:14, KJV). Watching the video of the destruction of the World Trade Center demonstrated to us just how fragile and fleeting life can be. None of us know for certainty what tomorrow will bring. But by putting our trust in Jesus Christ, we can know that we have eternal life and that our future is secure in Him.

This is an hour that we realize that our hope is truly is in the Lord. Through this realization and by a firm commitment to turn our hearts to Him, we can begin the process of healing the heart of America.