URGENT: Dealing with the Anger of September 11, 2001
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Title:
URGENT: Dealing with the Anger of September 11, 2001
Text:
Dear OANDP-L Members:
This may be of some help in dealing with the feelings of anger we all feel
over the terrible incident that occurred on September 11, 2001.
This is a portion of a message delivered by Pastor Daniel B. Barker of <A HREF= <URL Redacted>>
Cortland Trinity Baptist Church</A> during a Community Prayer Service in
Cortland, Ohio, on the day following the horrific suicide terrorist attacks
on the US.
America's Response to Terrorism's Attack
Pastor Daniel B. Barker
The greatest terrorist attack in the history of our nation unfolded before
our very eyes on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The unthinkable became reality.
The World Trade Center towers, standing 100 stories high above the New York
City skyline, crumbled to the ground one hour after being hit by two
commercial airliners flown by terrorist highjackers. Almost simultaneously a
crashed terrorist driven plane also hit the Pentagon. Some are calling it,
“America's second Day of Infamy.” These acts of terrorism have changed our
world forever. Life in America will never be the same. More than a crime,
these were acts of war! President Bush called it, “the evil acts of a
faceless coward.” Undoubtedly, the death toll from these terrorist attacks
will produce the greatest number of casualties the United States has ever
experienced in any other military encounter, outnumbering Pearl Harbor and
D-Day. Our nation is gripped with fear, confusion and anger.
WHAT WILL BE OUR RESPONSE TO THESE SENSELESS ACTS?
A gentleman from our church approached me following a prayer service we
conducted last night, bothered by the fact that he was feeling so much anger.
Knowing the scripture tells us to forgive, he felt his anger was
inappropriate. An investigation of scripture shows us that God gives us
permission to be angry at a time like this.
“Be angry, and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” <A HREF= <URL Redacted>>
Ephesians 4:26</A>
“Be angry…” Anger is a God given emotion. It has a good purpose. There is a
good reason why God gave us the ability to experience anger. Anger is “God’s
warning signal” that something wrong, something inappropriate is
happening…preparing us to make an appropriate response. All of us will agree
that yesterday’s attack on civilians with the intent of destroying many
innocent lives is horrifically wrong! President Bush referred to America’s
“quiet and unyielding anger,” during his speech to the nation last evening.
And so, being angry at a time like this is normal, even good. The question is
not, “Should we be angry?” but rather, “What do we do with our anger?” What
is an appropriate response?
“…do not sin…” What we do with our anger is our responsibility. God tells
us to be angry but not to sin in our anger. He wants us to take our anger and
do something constructive with it. Abraham Lincoln saw the injustice done to
black slaves when he was a teenager and in his anger he said, “Someday I will
do something about this!” His anger motivated him to do something good when
he saw the evil around him.
Ways we can sin in our anger:
1. We can deny our anger, and stuff it, or ignore it. “I’m a Christian, I
shouldn’t be feeling anger!” This doesn’t change the fact that legitimate
anger is still there and that anger will manifest itself in other ways in our
lives…ways that are unhealthy.
2. We can allow our anger to turn into hate. When anger is not given a
healthy outlet, it will turn into resentment and bitterness…even hatred.
Hating the people who did this will do more harm to us than it will to them.
3. We can become aggressive, and take matters into our own hands. Lashing out
at all Arabic people, wishing to inflict harm on others or carrying out our
own “hate missions,” and reduce ourselves to the level of those who have
sinned against us.
Ways we can constructively use our anger.
1. We can desire justice. I believe it is normal and healthy for us to have a
sense of justice that cries out for consequences for evil acts. This is
certainly not a time for indifference or ambivalence! There cries out from
the soul of America a call for justice to be served. A desire for justice is
a desire for the safety of our children, our families, and our society. I
believe America expects our government to respond to this aggression; I
believe America needs to see our government respond! But instead of taking
matters into our own hands let us allow those in authority to take the
appropriate actions to bring those responsible to justice.
2. We can use our energy and resources for good. Firefighters from Seattle
and Arizona have gone to NY to help with rescue efforts. We can call the Red
Cross and give blood. We can send financial relief to hurting and people
devastated by loss and grief. We can support our President and our military
personnel. We can cooperate with what will surely be, more stringent measures
of security throughout our nation in the days ahead. Take the energy of anger
and do good!
3. We can pray! We can take the energy of anger and direct it toward God! The
presence of sin, evil and injustice in the world should drive us to God! In
Psalm 50:15 God says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver
you, and you shall glorify Me.” The Psalms are full of petitions by David and
others, calling out to God for justice and deliverance from evil enemies.
When we see how hopeless we truly are against evil we seek the God of
goodness and holiness to come to our aid. Not all of our anger is for the
enemies of our nation. Our anger also reminds us of the sin and evil in our
own hearts and compels us to confess our sins. There are some serious
questions that America needs to answer in the face of these attacks.
~ Have we as a nation placed our confidence in our economy instead of God?
~ Have we bowed before the idol of materialism and wealth?
~ In our prosperity, have we forgotten God?
~ Are these attacks on our country a “wake up call” for America?
God is our very present help in the time of trouble. He is our rock. He is
our defense. He is our God and we will trust in Him.
The World Trade Center towers were home to some of the great financial
institutions of America. They stood as a representation of our economy and
our faith in money. In the space of a few minutes of time, they came crashing
down. But Proverbs 18:10 reminds us of a tower that is unshakable and beyond
the reach of all evil that might attempt to bring it down. Hear of this great
tower and take heart all you citizens of Cortland and Trumbull County.
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are
safe!” <A HREF= <URL Redacted>>(Proverbs 18:10)</A> Indeed, God has provided a “safe harbor” for all of
us in the cross of His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is the Great Shepherd who
will protect His sheep. President Bush quoted Psalm 23 in his message to the
nation saying, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil…for You are with me.”
As long as our words agree with the Psalmist’s words in <A HREF= http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?passage=Psalm+56:3-4=english&version=NIV >Psalm 56:3-4</A>, we will
be alright. “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God I have put my
trust, I will not fear! What can flesh do to me?”
God Bless America!
This may be of some help in dealing with the feelings of anger we all feel
over the terrible incident that occurred on September 11, 2001.
This is a portion of a message delivered by Pastor Daniel B. Barker of <A HREF= <URL Redacted>>
Cortland Trinity Baptist Church</A> during a Community Prayer Service in
Cortland, Ohio, on the day following the horrific suicide terrorist attacks
on the US.
America's Response to Terrorism's Attack
Pastor Daniel B. Barker
The greatest terrorist attack in the history of our nation unfolded before
our very eyes on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The unthinkable became reality.
The World Trade Center towers, standing 100 stories high above the New York
City skyline, crumbled to the ground one hour after being hit by two
commercial airliners flown by terrorist highjackers. Almost simultaneously a
crashed terrorist driven plane also hit the Pentagon. Some are calling it,
“America's second Day of Infamy.” These acts of terrorism have changed our
world forever. Life in America will never be the same. More than a crime,
these were acts of war! President Bush called it, “the evil acts of a
faceless coward.” Undoubtedly, the death toll from these terrorist attacks
will produce the greatest number of casualties the United States has ever
experienced in any other military encounter, outnumbering Pearl Harbor and
D-Day. Our nation is gripped with fear, confusion and anger.
WHAT WILL BE OUR RESPONSE TO THESE SENSELESS ACTS?
A gentleman from our church approached me following a prayer service we
conducted last night, bothered by the fact that he was feeling so much anger.
Knowing the scripture tells us to forgive, he felt his anger was
inappropriate. An investigation of scripture shows us that God gives us
permission to be angry at a time like this.
“Be angry, and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” <A HREF= <URL Redacted>>
Ephesians 4:26</A>
“Be angry…” Anger is a God given emotion. It has a good purpose. There is a
good reason why God gave us the ability to experience anger. Anger is “God’s
warning signal” that something wrong, something inappropriate is
happening…preparing us to make an appropriate response. All of us will agree
that yesterday’s attack on civilians with the intent of destroying many
innocent lives is horrifically wrong! President Bush referred to America’s
“quiet and unyielding anger,” during his speech to the nation last evening.
And so, being angry at a time like this is normal, even good. The question is
not, “Should we be angry?” but rather, “What do we do with our anger?” What
is an appropriate response?
“…do not sin…” What we do with our anger is our responsibility. God tells
us to be angry but not to sin in our anger. He wants us to take our anger and
do something constructive with it. Abraham Lincoln saw the injustice done to
black slaves when he was a teenager and in his anger he said, “Someday I will
do something about this!” His anger motivated him to do something good when
he saw the evil around him.
Ways we can sin in our anger:
1. We can deny our anger, and stuff it, or ignore it. “I’m a Christian, I
shouldn’t be feeling anger!” This doesn’t change the fact that legitimate
anger is still there and that anger will manifest itself in other ways in our
lives…ways that are unhealthy.
2. We can allow our anger to turn into hate. When anger is not given a
healthy outlet, it will turn into resentment and bitterness…even hatred.
Hating the people who did this will do more harm to us than it will to them.
3. We can become aggressive, and take matters into our own hands. Lashing out
at all Arabic people, wishing to inflict harm on others or carrying out our
own “hate missions,” and reduce ourselves to the level of those who have
sinned against us.
Ways we can constructively use our anger.
1. We can desire justice. I believe it is normal and healthy for us to have a
sense of justice that cries out for consequences for evil acts. This is
certainly not a time for indifference or ambivalence! There cries out from
the soul of America a call for justice to be served. A desire for justice is
a desire for the safety of our children, our families, and our society. I
believe America expects our government to respond to this aggression; I
believe America needs to see our government respond! But instead of taking
matters into our own hands let us allow those in authority to take the
appropriate actions to bring those responsible to justice.
2. We can use our energy and resources for good. Firefighters from Seattle
and Arizona have gone to NY to help with rescue efforts. We can call the Red
Cross and give blood. We can send financial relief to hurting and people
devastated by loss and grief. We can support our President and our military
personnel. We can cooperate with what will surely be, more stringent measures
of security throughout our nation in the days ahead. Take the energy of anger
and do good!
3. We can pray! We can take the energy of anger and direct it toward God! The
presence of sin, evil and injustice in the world should drive us to God! In
Psalm 50:15 God says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver
you, and you shall glorify Me.” The Psalms are full of petitions by David and
others, calling out to God for justice and deliverance from evil enemies.
When we see how hopeless we truly are against evil we seek the God of
goodness and holiness to come to our aid. Not all of our anger is for the
enemies of our nation. Our anger also reminds us of the sin and evil in our
own hearts and compels us to confess our sins. There are some serious
questions that America needs to answer in the face of these attacks.
~ Have we as a nation placed our confidence in our economy instead of God?
~ Have we bowed before the idol of materialism and wealth?
~ In our prosperity, have we forgotten God?
~ Are these attacks on our country a “wake up call” for America?
God is our very present help in the time of trouble. He is our rock. He is
our defense. He is our God and we will trust in Him.
The World Trade Center towers were home to some of the great financial
institutions of America. They stood as a representation of our economy and
our faith in money. In the space of a few minutes of time, they came crashing
down. But Proverbs 18:10 reminds us of a tower that is unshakable and beyond
the reach of all evil that might attempt to bring it down. Hear of this great
tower and take heart all you citizens of Cortland and Trumbull County.
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are
safe!” <A HREF= <URL Redacted>>(Proverbs 18:10)</A> Indeed, God has provided a “safe harbor” for all of
us in the cross of His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is the Great Shepherd who
will protect His sheep. President Bush quoted Psalm 23 in his message to the
nation saying, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil…for You are with me.”
As long as our words agree with the Psalmist’s words in <A HREF= http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?passage=Psalm+56:3-4=english&version=NIV >Psalm 56:3-4</A>, we will
be alright. “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God I have put my
trust, I will not fear! What can flesh do to me?”
God Bless America!
Citation
“URGENT: Dealing with the Anger of September 11, 2001,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 2, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/217433.
