We’re coming up on the 13th anniversary of one of the most horrific attacks on America within her borders.  To many of us it was a day we will never forget.  To some of us – it’s just a sad memory.  To those who were not yet born, it’s just a day in history.  To most Americans it was a day that brought us together briefly as a nation.

That horrible tragedy was a wake-up call for our nation.  We thought we were invincible – that our borders were secure – that we were the most powerful nation in the world.  We were wrong.  Something happened on that day that goes much deeper than the loss of many lives and the never ending sorrow for those they left behind.

I remember driving in my car that day with a feeling of insecurity.  The freedom that had always abounded in my country was suddenly snatched away.  I became suspicious.  I feared that this was just the beginning.  I began to look at people differently.  My level of trust waned.

Here it is – only 13 years later – and our nation’s patriotism has once again gone stagnant.  We don’t always trust our own government.  We look at people who are different than us with suspicion in the back of our minds.  We have become even more self-indulgent as a nation than we were before.  We live in an anything goes society with respect to morality.  We have been told to accept every kind of behavior without question or we are guilty of profiling or being politically incorrect.

One memory of that day still lingers in my mind.  We had a special service at our church that night to pray for those lost and for our country.  A new patriotic fervor rose from the ashes of destruction and people showed their best sides again.

Unfortunately that fervor has drifted away in just a few short years.  Terrorism is still a threat – not only in the United States – but to the entire world.  We need to be re-inspired as we approach this day.  Our country is full of good people who care about her.  We are a nation founded on hope and God’s values.  We cannot let the evil of this world win.  Our God is much greater than anything the devil has to throw at us.  Let’s never forget that He is in control.