God loves you!

Sixteen years have passed since since the unbelievable happened to the
United States. Thousands of people lost their lives. Shortly after,
churches were full, because people were searching for answers, for reason,
for purpose, ultimately for God. Today we remember the bricks falling down,
and the new buildings that went up. I look at the verses in *Isaiah9:10
“The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild [all the better] with
ashlar (hewed stones)...* We look at the pictures of dust and smoke, the
bodies that were recovered, the planes of destruction and try to figure out
where God was. We can be thankful that more lives were not taken. Shortly
after the fear of the enemy wore off, so did the attendance at the
churches, it seems as though the devotion to God has diminished as well.
Many have fallen back into their regular routine of life that does not have
God in it at all. For the steadfast believers we look to verses like
*Joshua1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be
terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you
wherever you go.”* and *Ps23:4 Even though I walk through the [sunless]
valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your
rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.*
May our nation and our world understand that God has a purpose in
everything and is with us through everything. As we reflect back today on
all the horrible things that happened, I want to encourage the unbelievers
and all those that have fallen into complacency, God loves you and wants to
be a part of your life today in the calmness, the same way He wanted to be
your God in the chaos.

Douglas