When Your World Crumbles

September 11, 2001 changed the skyline of our nation. What should you do when your world crumbles? Where will you turn when freedom is under attack and the gray dust of death covers our nation's largest city?

Strange, isn't it? In the days immediately following this national tragedy, I didn't hear anyone telling us that what our country really needs is to take prayer out of our schools. Nobody introduced a constitutional amendment urging that it's OK to burn the American flag or to take "In God We Trust" off our coins and dollar bills. I didn't hear anyone whining about the separation of church and state when President Bush quoted the 23rd Psalm on television. American citizens dusted off some patriotic and spiritual fervor that has been on the shelf far too long. We sang "God Bless America" with a fresh recognition that we were singing a prayer to the One who made our nation great.

Where can we turn when our world falls apart? Not to bars or banks, but to the Bible. Not to politicians and polls, but to prayer. In recent days, it hasn't seemed melodramatic to talk about biblical virtues like courage, kindness, mercy, and self-sacrifice. Sports events and TV shows have seemed trivial; petty disagreements hardly worth arguing about. Political differences have faded into the background. For once, we have been more concerned about the people who work at the New York Stock Exchange than we are about the market itself. Parents have hugged their children with greater affection, and it hasn't seemed unmanly or undignified to cry in public.

Suddenly you don't look like a religious fanatic if you talk about Heaven and Hell, the justice of God, and the return of Jesus Christ. As a culture, we have been compelled to think about God and eternity—and guess what? The church isn't irrelevant. God isn't irrelevant. Faith isn't irrelevant. And if anyone ever doubted it, we have seen once and for all the stark reality of evil and its effects.

When the dust finally settles, two great biblical exhortations remain standing like twin towers of truth.

Do not be deceived. Don't kid yourself about the purpose and length of life. We are a mere "mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). Two of the biggest buildings on earth can crumble in less than two hours. The most famous skyline in the world can be rearranged, just like that. The center of world finance can quickly "pass away like a wild flower" (James 1:10), but "the word of the Lord stands forever" (1 Peter 1:25). "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:17).

Do not be dismayed. "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" (James 1:12).

How will we handle this time of trial? Will we lean on the cleverness of our technology, or on the power of God? Will we line up to serve Jesus, or just line up at the gas station? Will we panic, or will we pray? Will our compassion increase for persecuted Christians in other lands who face danger and death because of their faith? Will we become more determined than ever to make disciples of all nations?

Even when the world is very bad, God is very good. Christ is still the foundation of faith and hope. Your world will never crumble if you build your life on him.