By Jake McCall

As we approach this day when most everyone will remember exactly where they were when they heard the news that our country and people had been aggressively attacked, there are many thoughts that come to my mind.

One is sadness for the many people that lost their lives and for their families that continue to experience their loss. One is thankfulness that family and friends that I had in that area were unharmed and even remorse for feeling that way when many others couldn’t. Another is anger that I feel for the many terrorists that played a part in the murder and deception of thousands. Yet when I am reminded of who God is and how He reveals Himself in the Bible, I have assurance. And in times of outpourings of God’s grace that assurance overcomes all other emotions.

That assurance does not come from beliefs that we will never be attacked again or that war will end and never start up again. It doesn’t come from a confidence that I have in an all-powerful military or in officials, for Psalm 33:16 says, “The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.” Neither does that assurance come from my own ability to keep my family safe or from attempting to shield their exposure to the danger of the world in which we live.

That assurance comes from the fact that on Sept. 11, 2001, God was present and sovereign just as He has been every other day. I am reminded this month that God’s plan was never altered and He never for a millisecond had to succumb to plan B. I am reminded that when those horrific events took place, God did not have to send an editor down to change the book of Revelation because it may now take longer and be more difficult for Jesus to defeat Satan for good. I am reminded that God did not look on in awe thinking that Satan was far craftier and more evil than He ever imagined.  Proverbs 15:3 tells us that God reigns over all evil and all good while at the same time Psalm 145:17 tells us that the Lord is righteous in all His ways. Be comforted and assured by combining those two truths: that in a world that contains obvious evil, our righteous God will not be surprised and He will not be moved.

During this month most of us will experience times of grief. Some of you will experience the pain of cancer. Some of you will attend funerals. Some of you will have to comfort others that are in pain. Don’t waste your hope on the promises of this world. Instead be assured of the promises that rest in belonging to a good God. When being slow to accept that God could reign over 9/11 and when struggling to understand how that could be used for the good of His plan and people, consider this: God reigned over the humiliating and undeserved death of His one and only Son which led to Him reigning over the glory of His resurrection.

Jake McCall is a religion columnist for The Clanton Advertiser. He is the pastor of Grace Fellowship in Clanton.