Introduction

At 8:42 A.M. EST this past Tuesday, America was changed. This is not the same place as it was. Our innocence in the age of terror is gone. As hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, ultimately bringing them down on top of firemen and rescue workers, killing thousands of people unable to get out of the towers, a third plane crashed into the Pentegon, and a fourth into a field south of Pittsburg. Most of us have probably heard the stories enough this past week to know many of the details, so I won't recount them here. I, perhaps like you, had great difficulty tearing myself away from the television screen to get any work done. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in a bit of a state of shock. Some of you have voiced the same sentiment. These terrorists were attacking our nation, our countymen, and our people.

These attacks were blatant assaults on America as a nation and on every freedom loving individual in the world. Our county was galvanized, it seems, nearly overnight. Gone suddenly was the partisan bickering in our governing officials. Replacing it was a state of mourning that is gradually giving way to anger and a call for justice and vengeance upon those who carried out the murderous plot.

Many today are saying this tragedy is a wake-up call. To that I most certainly concur. Since the early '90s, with the fall of the Soviet Union and the sweeping victory of our troops in the Gulf War, we have lived with a feeling of near total security if not invincibility. Who could possibly stand against us? We're the only remaining world superpower! This, coupled with an unprecedented 8 or 9 year run up of wealth in our economy such as no nation has ever experienced, has caused us to grow complacent. The greatest things the average American has needed to be concerned for have been whether his favorite team will go to the playoffs or whether her necklines and hemlines will be up or down this time next year.

Christians are affected, too. Many have been more interested in entertainment than they have been in hearing the word of God. Biblical preaching has become more difficult and less tolerated. In some ways it's like shouting "fire, fire" to a group of people lounging around a swimming pool with glassess of iced tea in their hands. They just don't see the relevance.

That last statement is not intended to be a cheap shot. The truth is that preachers also have become complacent. Those who have fought it have, at the very least, struggled with great frustration in themselves. Fewer and fewer have been choosing full time Christian ministry as their life's work.

So if the tragic events of this past week are some sort of wake-up call, what does that call say? What have we suddenly awakened too? What have we learned? I suggest first that we have learned again that:

1. We Live in a Insecure World.

Even the thought that foreign terrorists could walk right into our airports, check in, board our domestic flights, take them over with box-cutter knives, then successfully aim them at the centers of our economy and national defense seemed nearly impossible to most Americans this time last week. Who could imagine? If I hadn't seen the pictures myself, and received the cell phone call from my oldest son who was a mere 30 blocks away from the Twin Towers in the Chrysler Building last Tuesday morning, it would seem more like something out of a Tom Clancy novel.

Yet it has happened.

Even more ominous, it could happen again. When Attorney General Ashcroft was asked this morning on Fox News Sunday if Americans should be concerned about this happening again, he said that every American should maintain a heightened sense of vigilance.

I applaud our President for his handling of this crisis so far. It is not a time for cowardice. It is a time for calm but resolute and deliberate determination to use whatever force is necessary to end the threat against this country. The attacks in New York and Washington were even greater in loss of life than those on Pearl Harbor 60 years ago. And so we have it. War is declared on America. War has been declared on terrorism.

But can we really stop it? We all hope so. Yet the United States is a big country with very open borders. Our way of life is based on openness. We can put sky marshals on all our domestic flights, but can we also protect our water supply and our air against biological terror? It has been said at times that there are a number of the so-called "suitcase bombs," that is, portable nuclear weapons, unaccounted for since the fall of the Soviet Union. What if the plot had involved one of these? Then again, we know that rogue nations are extending the range of their guided missiles. They are also developing nuclear weapon capabilities. Can we protect ourselves from all of these? Surely we must try and not stop until we are reasonably secure.

Let me say before I go any further, that I believe our leaders should do everything morally possible to insure the safety of the people and property of this nation. Our lives and our way of life are at stake. These are not trivial times. I also will say that the perpetrators of terror should be punished to the fullest extent. I've heard a lot this past week about vengeance, both pro and con. I heard one theologian interviewed who said that vengeance is never a right thing. To this all I can say is that the guy must be reading a different Bible than I'm reading.

From the New Testament we learn that personal vengeance is never a right thing. We must not take the law into our own hands. The Apostle Paul said clearly in Romans 12:19, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God…"

Yet a mere 6 verses later, the same Apostle Paul, in the same letter, after telling Christians to submit themselves to the governing authorities, tells us that a prime duty of the civil government is to "avenge" and "bring wrath upon" evildoers as God's agent. Referring to the civil government in Romans13:4, Paul says "… it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil."

God avenges evildoers through the acts of the lawful civil government. I didn't originate that in my own mind. It comes from our Bible - our New Testament.

Getting back to my first point though, we live in an insecure world. We always have. It's just that saying it today makes so much more sense than saying it even a week ago.

So is all lost? Must we live out the rest of our lives in fear? Should we all build bunkers full of freeze dried food and crawl in?

I don't believe so. There is still security in this world because:

2. True National Security Comes from God.

A strong national defense, a strong intelligence gathering community, a firm and vigilant attention to threats - these are things that are a necessary part of life for a free 21^st century nation. All of us wish it could be different, but it isn't. We would be foolish to cast these things aside. Even ancient Israel, shepherded by God Himself, did not disarm, nor did God disarm them, except in one or two exceptional incidents when they needed a clearer picture of His power.

But these things - weapons, intelligence, and human resolve - cannot protect us fully. We need to realize that.

Please take out your Bibles and look with me at Psalm 33.

This is one of the songs of praise that Israel used in their temple worship. God inspired these songs to teach His people truth about Himself and His ways. Many were written by Israel's leading songwriter and harp-player, King David. They contain much truth and this one in particular, contains truth that I believe is applicable to our present situation of rediscovered vulnerability.

After calling for the righteous to sing and give thanks accompanied with musical instruments in the first five verses, the song-writer reminds us of the awesome power of God.

"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made…" he says in verse 6. One word and "Poof!" Everything you see came into being. Then he follows with other evidences of God's awesome power - other examples of single-word creation: Stars and planets (here called the "hosts" of heaven) and the sea.

Then he brings it down to God's power over the various nations of the earth. That's where this Psalm intersects our present distress, so I hope you're paying attention.

Verse 10: "The Lord nullifies the counsel of nations…." I understand that to mean that various nations make their plans and sometimes God steps in to say, in effect, "Nope. You're not going to do that!" In the second half of the parallelism, he reinforces this truth by saying, "He frustrates the plans of the peoples." They want to do something and He keeps them from doing it.

The plans that stand, he says next, are the plans that the Lord approves - those that He wants to stand. Verse 11:

"The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation."

Hmm. If that is true, that the only plans that stand are God's plans, I wonder whether it would be a good thing for a nation like ours to give much concern to making sure that we're a part of His plans? (I'll leave you to ponder that deep theological question for a few seconds!)

In case you're having trouble with that question of whether or not it is good for a nation to strive be a part of God's plans, let me give you the Psalmist's answer. Its in verse 12:

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for his own inheritance."

It's a blessing for a nation to have the God of heaven as its God!

"So, Mr. Psalmist, how is it that a nation benefits from having the God of heaven as its Lord?"

Verse 13: "The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men."

Probably most of us have heard of the so-called "spy satellites" that orbit our earth and are able to "watch" people living in other lands. These are a very important part of the intelligence gathering that we were speaking of earlier. Some, reportedly, can read your morning newspaper from space! That is some amazing surveillance! Yet we read here that God has been able to do that for thousands of years.

Verse 14: "From His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth."

Not only can He read their newspapers, He can read their hearts!

Look at verse 15: "He who fashions the hearts of them all, he who understands all their works…"

He knows what every person is doing and thinking. He understands what makes them tick because He made them. This includes you and me and it includes any terrorist who might wish to harm others. He knows their whereabouts. He knows where Usama bin Ladin is this very instant. He knows where he is going this afternoon and what he is thinking and planning. He knows where his terrorist cells are and what they are up to. Talk about intelligence capability! Even our technology pales against the Psalmist's description of God's vast power.

Now all of us will do well listen closely to what is said next. Believing its truth could determine the future of our nation. Understanding it and acting on its truth can fill the vast "holes" in our national security.

Verse 16-17: "The king is not saved by a mighty army; a warrior is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength."

An army - we know what that is. Right now 50,000 of our reserves have been called up. Great strength in a warrior - we know what that is. Some of our nation's finest serve in the Armed Forces of America. What about the horse?

A horse was a weapon of war in the day when the Psalmist lived. Often when the earthly strength of an army in the Bible is spoken of, it is done in terms of horses and chariots. The point of the Psalmist is that to trust entirely in your army or your armaments, no matter how powerful, is futile without God.

"Now wait just a minute," someone says. "I don't know if I agree with that or not. A horse is one thing. A cruise missile or a nuclear warhead is a lot more powerful than that! This horse business sounds pretty puny to me. Surely this no longer applies."

OK. I understand the hesitation. But think for a moment. The principle is still true. Up until the early '90s there were two so-called superpowers in our world and both had missiles and powerful nuclear weapons - enough it is said, to destroy the world many times over. Yet one of those superpowers is no more. Have you ever seriously asked yourself why? We didn't win a battle of guns and bombs with them. They were not vanquished by our strength.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian-born Nobel Prize winner for literature in the year 1970, spoke some words a few years ago that our nation would do well to hear. Before a group of Britain’s leading political and religious leaders, at Buckingham Palace, Solzhenitsyn said this:

"Over half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: ‘Men have forgotten God, that’s why all this has happened,’" Solzhenitsyn said as he recalled their words. Then he continued, "And if I were called upon to identify the principle trait of the entire twentieth century, I would be unable to find anything more precise and pithy than to repeat: ‘Men have forgotten God.’"

It is no secret that our own nation has been in a process of forgetting God. No, we haven't forgotten Him fully, but we seem to be well on our way. And in some circles, it's not just forgetting Him. It's intentionally pushing Him out.

	"Get out of our schools!"
	"Get off our coins!"
	"Get out of our bedrooms!"
	"Stay out of our politics!"
	"Get out of our textbooks!"
	"Leave us alone to our choices!"
	"We don't want you, so get out!"

Whenever ancient Israel pushed Him out, He withdrew His protection from them. Their enemies conducted successful raids on them. You can find examples of that all over the history of Israel in the Bible. The same principle is in operation with us.

But there is a good side to that, too. When they awakened to their need and repented, He restored their national protection.

That brings me to my third point:

3. We Build Our National Security by Turning Back to God.

Let's finish the Psalm we've been reading.

Verses 18-19: "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine."

The mention of the eye of the Lord being on those who fear him doesn't mean His critical, judging eye. It means his watchful, protective eye. We say today, "I'll keep an eye on things." We mean we'll watch out for something. We'll keep it safe and secure. He watches out for the nation that recognizes Him as their God.

I was somewhat heartened this week to see so many filling church buildings and cathedrals in our land. That by itself won't fix everything because once the crisis fades, many will probably return to their lives the way they were before. But it's a good start for some. We hope it will increase. For a time at least, we are reminded of our own mortality and that of our loved ones. We can only hope it will continue.

A person who believes he or she is invincible sees little or no need for God. Church, the Bible, preaching and teaching God's word, all these things seem meaningless. Someone who has recently encountered a crisis or brush with death face to face though, is more likely to listen. I wish we were more sensitive to God than that, but we seldom are. We have to learn the hard way.

Let me read a promise that was given to ancient Israel many years ago that I believe still fits, at least in principle. Most of you who know the Bible have heard it. Perhaps you can even quote it. But it's good to dust it off at a time like this and renew our understanding of it. It was spoken to Solomon by God in a night vision about 900 years before Christ. It pertained primarily to Israel, but I believe it contains an echo of truth for us today.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14:

"If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

These are precious and heartening words! But there is a flip side, a warning side that is often ignored. It is in verses 19 and 20 of the same passage.

"But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you and shall go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples."

Folks, ancient Israel forsook God and that is exactly what happened to them!

To those who would say that this applies only to the nation of Israel, I would remind you of the nations that were cast out of Canaan when Israel came in. God judged them because of their increasing wickedness. Here is what the Bible says in Leviticus 18:24-25. Again, it was spoken to Israel, but concerns the nations they were about to dispossess.

"Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. For the land has become defiled, therefore I have visited its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants."

You see God was also judging nations other than Israel for their increasing wickedness. These were nations whose ancestors had long ago turned away from him.

You might recall that though Abraham was given the Promised Land, he was never allowed to possess it himself during his lifetime. Listen to the reason why. It's in Genesis 15:13-16:

"And God said to Abram, 'Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve; and afterward they will come out with many possessions. And as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.'"

The "Amorite" is a reference to one of the nations who possessed that land before Israel. From the time that God created the nations at the tower of Babel, He has been judging all nations who reject Him. Make no mistake about it. Our nation is no exception.

Conclusion

I believe America again stands at a crossroads. No, actually, that may be the wrong metaphor. Perhaps we stand near the exit of a freeway that leads to destruction. We've missed some significant exits in the past - opportunities to get off the road to destruction of our nation. We have come near yet another exit. We've just been jabbed to wake up. What we do about the events of these recent days, with regard to our relationship with God, will determine our future as a nation.

National repentance must begin with the repentance of those who know God best. That's us, Christians. On that foundation, we can provide a consistent witness to our fellow countrymen who know Him less.

Let me end with some incredibly appropriate words from Hebrews 12:11-13: "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed."

Footnotes: (Use your "back" button to return to your place)

Author's Note: Credit for the connection between the idea of "National Security" and Psalm 33, and also the quote from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn goes to Dick Innes at: www.ACTSweb.org