I Remember
The following reflection was written in response to the recent anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack.
On September 11, 2001, I was in my classroom. It was a middle-school classroom, and I was administering a standardized test when the school secretary knocked on the door. She asked me to step into the hallway and told me that New York City had been attacked. Throughout that day and the following days, a sense of apprehension and uncertainty filled many of our minds.
On September 11, 2025, I was in my classroom. Now I was teaching older students–who were not even born when the 9/11 events occurred–and I shared these thoughts as a devotional. Our students today still see uncertainty in the world around us, with school shootings and killing of prominent leaders filling many of their minds. Some of the students may not be affected much by these events, while others are very aware. So what do we say to our students in times of unease and apprehension?
Psalm 77 tells of Asaph, the writer of the psalm, going through difficult situations, “in a day of trouble” when his “soul refuses to be comforted.” He lies awake at night, wondering “hath God forgot to be gracious?” But then Verse 11 and 12 say, “I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.” Asaph remembers that God had been faithful in the past and is comforted that God will continue to be with him in the present difficult situations.
In the twenty-four years since New York City and Washington, D.C., were attacked, we have gone through many difficulties, individually, nationally, and globally. But each believer can also testify that God has been present and at work in these situations. We may have seen God provide financially for our families or our schools. Or perhaps we have seen God heal an individual physically or spiritually. It may be that we have seen God provide peace and assurance without taking away the difficult circumstances.
Two events stand out for me that I can share with my students, and perhaps you have other examples to share with yours. In her later years, my grandmother lost her eyesight. She handled her restrictions (mostly) gracefully and seemed (mostly) content. I was discussing with another family member how difficult it would be to accept blindness without being angry, and the family member said, “She (my grandmother) knows that God was faithful in her past and will continue to be with her now in her blindness.”
And more recently, I was talking with a friend who is facing a third major cancer surgery. She doesn’t know what the outcome will be and has to wait for the operation. She told me, “I decided that I could worry and be upset for the next two months while I’m waiting, or I could trust that God’s got this. And I am trusting and I am at peace.”
So, as I told my students on September 11, 2025, I remember. I remember that God was present and in control twenty-four years ago. I remember that God has been faithful in difficulties I have seen since then in my own life and the lives of those around me. I can know and trust that God will be faithful in the current world situations, whether that be school shootings or sickness or war or…. And when we remember this, we all, both my students and I, have hope!
