Our Father in Heaven,
Almighty God,
Ruler of heaven and earth,
Hallowed be your name.
We remember, O God, ten years past.
We recall the images, the shock, the grief, the disbelief, the sadness,
the fear, and the anger.
We still mourn the senseless loss of life, and with it a way of life as well.
We pray for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done, yet the
memories of that September day remind us how far we are from both.
We seem to hunger and thirst for righteousness so much more when
we feel the pain of evil and wrong.
Father, You know how to help us as individuals, as a nation, even our
world. How easily pain, loss, grief, and anger turn into bitterness and
self-righteousness. Help us to mourn without a thirst for retribution
and furry. Grant to us humility and kindness in the midst of terror. Give
us the strength, the faith, the obedience to overcome evil with good.
Father, you know that fundamentally we are not better than others
in and of ourselves. Our past, our liberty, our prosperity, and our
opportunity can all be traced back to Your providence, Your goodness,
and the work of Your hands. We thank You for these blessings. We
also thank You for the genuine goodwill and goodness we witnessed a
decade ago rising up out heaps of rubble. How much better and nobler
we are when we abandon selfishness and serve one another instead.
We thank you for those who set that example even at cost of their own
health and lives.
Father God, we pray that we will not lose ourselves in sentimentality,
nor in the worship and pride of the strength and the will of the human
spirit. We are fragile at best, even the strongest, we have learned. We
are sinful ourselves even when we are at our best. Ten years later we
are still in need of You, O Lord: Your protection, Your wisdom, Your
guidance, Your blessing, Your mercy, Your forgiveness, Your goodness,
and Your righteousness. And not only us, but all of mankind. We are
still in need for the heart, mind, and life of Christ to shape us, mold us,
and captivate us.
We lift our prayer to You Lord because Yours is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, forever, Amen.