Daily Devotional

I still remember exactly where I was on September 11th, 2001. I was in my bedroom at my parent’s house. My mom ran into my room and told me about what had happened. I remember being confused and not understanding how this could happen. As the day unfolded, it was marked by more confusion, by fear, and by sadness.

That September 11th was a Tuesday, truly a day I will never forget. Another day that stands out in my mind was the following Sunday. I grew up in a small church. Our attendance was always at its highest around Christmas and Easter. Sundays in September were not the most crowded, but this year it was different. That Sunday our church was full. Ours wasn’t the only one, churches around the country were full of people who were trying to find answers to a confusing time. People needed answers and they rightly turned to God.

In the days, weeks, and months after September 11th something else stood out to me, I saw a sense of unity in people. In fact, the phrase “United We Stand” seemed to be everywhere from bumper stickers, to hats, to shirts, sweaters, and coffee mugs. This horrific event had brought us closer together as a people, but it was a unity that didn’t last.

Here we are 22 years later and anything but united, but I don’t think we should lose hope. Events like September 11th show us how we can put aside our differences when something bigger than our differences comes along. Our differences seem to shrink when we all share something larger. The bigger the thing we all share, the more we focus on that and less on our individual differences. Well, there is nothing bigger than our God. An event, good or bad, might unite us for a time, but only through God Almighty can we be truly unified.

What does it take to be unified? We have to put God at the center of our lives where He belongs. We must be humble; we must seek His face; we must put aside our opinions and differences and keep our focus on Him. God is bigger than any event, bigger than any obstacle, bigger than any commonality or difference. Colossians 3:14 says, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” God has called us to love Him first and foremost and to love others. If we do this, we will please God, experience greater unity, and just perhaps see our nation healed.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.