By Len Pine and Julian Gibbs
September 11, 2025
Terror comes in all kinds of forms: planes flown into buildings, a knife on a train, a bullet on a platform, shots in a schoolyard, or arson and buckshot on an Idaho hillside. In all of these there are common threads: (1) ignorant, hateful, irrational cowards are the perpetrators; (2) those cowards are all traitors to their homes, their families, themselves, to humanity itself; (3) stupidly, those cowards arrogantly assume that they know better how the world should operate, and they presume to attempt to displace a sovereign God by defying his law along with all reason and decency in order to get their way at the expense whoever opposes them.
But all their scheming will not succeed. As we read in Psalm 2, “the peoples plot in vain.” These evil and desperate events remind me somewhat of the early efforts to snuff out Christianity in its infancy during the period of great persecution by the Roman emperors who also fancied themselves to stand in the place of God. They did not succeed by crucifying Christ (who would add to their little problem further by inconveniently rising again from the dead!), nor by persecuting, imprisoning, torturing, or killing the apostles. But still they tried, to no avail. To their great consternation, the more they martyred the disciples of Jesus Christ, the more the faith grew, for the fury of the wicked only served to show their own perversity and by comparison, the righteousness of Christ’s followers and the validity of their faith. Rational people do not willingly give up their lives for a lie. The wicked have never figured this out, and we have seen that in action in the recent history of our own nation. The events of 9.11.01 were orchestrated to destroy the United States, but they only made us stronger and more determined to persevere. And that’s just in the secular realm.
But the madness of wickedness remains, and has been stoked by those that hate the US, its Christian roots, and anyone who they have been brainwashed to believe is part of the “oppressors of society.” The atrocities committed on a Charlotte train and, just last Wednesday, on a Utah college campus, bear that out. These events are soul-searing and enraging. But there is a sovereign God, and He has done a marvelous thing. As someone said in a Facebook post on Thursday, in attempting to silence the voice of Charlie Kirk, the murderer gave him a million voices. It was that way in the days following that horrific day in New York City in 2001, 24 years ago, and it is that way now. The utterly irrational and wicked actions of these terrorists is turned by God into a beacon of light upon the nobility of the cause of freedom and, even more, the demands of a holy Creator. And in that light, we must be united as a people if we are to endure.
In the light that our Savior gives, we will humble ourselves before our Father, Master, Lord, King, and Shepherd—He is the Holy One, worthy of all worship and the highest praise. He alone is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe, and we must bow before him with humble hearts. By his grace and mercy alone we were granted breath this morning, and so we should lift our voices in gratitude. There is none like him —no power, no person, no being compares to his loving care and steadfast devotion.
In that light that our Savior gives, we will come to see that we are sinners. Too often our hearts and minds drift from him. We waste the precious time he has given us on worldly distractions, instead of walking in obedience to his Word. Sometimes we idolize our politics, celebrities, and our self-righteous ideas. We have taken his love and patience for granted. We have been slow to shine as “salt and light” and neglectful in proclaiming the hope of the gospel to a broken world. Forgive us, Lord! Sanctify us by Your Spirit and strengthen us to be faithful servants who live and labor for Your glory.
In the light that our Savior gives, then, our hearts ought to overflow with thanksgiving. Thank God for his grace; for revealing himself to us through his creation and through the truth of his Word. Thank him for the cross, where Christ bore our sins, and for His victory that gives us eternal hope. Thank him for providing for us—not only in daily needs, but in the gift of salvation, the fellowship of the church, and the indwelling of his Spirit. Thank him for godly leaders, faithful shepherds, and brothers and sisters who bear one another’s burdens. Thank him that even in sorrow, he is present with us, sanctifying us and sustaining us.
Today is a day for prayer. We must plead for his mercy on our nation and community. Pray that he will heal the brokenhearted, comfort the grieving, and strengthen those who still carry scars from the tragedy of September 11, and every atrocity of like character great or small. Pray for peace in our homes, in our relationships, and in our land. Pray that he will grant us leaders who fear him, and remove the influence of those who will not repent. Pray that he will make us bold and compassionate witnesses of Christ, and soften the hearts of those who hear the gospel. Pray for healing for the sick, peace for the anxious and depressed, and reconciliation in families. Above all, pray that he will make us worthy of the testimony of Christ, who shed His precious blood for our salvation.
So, now, having prayed, remember. Remember the 5000+ victims of 9.11. Remember Iryna Zarutska. Remember Charlie Kirk. And take note of the kind of people that hate them and what they represent, so much so that they would commit terrorist atrocities to silence them. And then remember that no matter what the wicked do, the voices of the victims can never be silenced. All truth is God’s truth – and his truth is just too loud.