Where Was God?
September 11 reminds us that evil is real, life is fragile and tomorrow is never promised. But it also reminds us that this broken world is not our final home. Pain is not the final word.
September 11 reminds us that evil is real, life is fragile and tomorrow is never promised.
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18
There are some days in history that we remember exactly where we were when we heard the news. I will never forget when JFK was shot or the day the Challenger space shuttle exploded.
September 11, 2001, is one of those days. That morning, I struggled with fear, confusion, anger and grief. And behind all of those emotions was a question that has been asked countless times since:
Where was God?
It is a question born from tragedy. Where was God when the towers fell? Where was He when innocent lives were lost? Where was He when families received phone calls that changed their lives forever?
The Bible doesn’t give us a simple explanation for every tragedy. But it does give us a beautiful assurance: God is not distant from our suffering.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted. Not watching from a distance. Not indifferent. Near.
Suffering and tragedy are not new. It was into a world of sorrow that Jesus entered. He stood at the grave of Lazarus and wept. He experienced it all—grief, loss, betrayal, suffering, death—because He willingly entered our broken world.
September 11 reminds us that evil is real, life is fragile and tomorrow is never promised. But it also reminds us that this broken world is not our final home. Pain is not the final word.
There are questions we may never answer this side of heaven. But we can know the One who holds us while we ask them.
25 years later, we remember the lives lost, the heroes who ran toward danger, the families who still carry empty chairs around their tables, the trauma scars we all still carry…and we remember this:
When our hearts are broken, God is near.
“Where was God?”
He was where He has always been—with His children in the midst of their deepest sorrow.
Today marks 25 years since that day. I remember that morning like it was just yesterday, but it seems like our nation has largely forgotten that lesson. We are mired deeper in political division than ever before.
Next weekend, look for a new series: Finding Light In A Dark World. It will be a revealing—and meaningful—look at darkness and Light.
