John 6:15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. (NIV)

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I’m probably the only man you know who can get out of bed at 3:30 in the morning and still get to work late that same day. 

I’m not lazy. I just have things to do. And I get more done before I go to work than I probably do the rest of the day. Those precious pre-dawn hours are dear to me. My structured routine feeds me and makes it possible for me to feed others. 

It was one of those mornings when I had been up early, doing all the things I did, when I had delivered the children safely to school, then came back home for a few more minutes of daily preparation, while listening to the news radio station in Houston. 

The announcer said, “We’re just getting reports that a plane has flown into one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City.” That sounded pretty dramatic. I walked to the next room and turned on the television to see what was going on. Sure enough, there was a hole and smoke near the top of one of those buildings. 

Moments later, I didn’t understand what was happening, but another plane flew into the other building. I hit rewind on my mind to see if I had seen what I thought I had just seen. Blinking my eyes, I realized both buildings had been hit not by small planes, but by giant airliners. 

This was no accident. This was a deliberate attack. 

I called my office and asked if they had heard what was going on. They had. I let them know I was going to stay home for a while and see what was happening. I sat and prayed. I fielded a phone call or two. I lingered in wonder in front of the television for hours on end. 

In the days to come, I saw a girl of about 16 near that horrific site in New York City holding a sign with a photo of a woman and asking, “Have you seen my mother?” 

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I will remember, and I will pray.

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Our Father, deliver us from the evil of thinking we can serve you with power and might that destroy individuals, families, communities, nations, and the world. Thank you that you still bless peacemakers. Remind us as often as necessary that you don’t hate anyone and that you want every person from every tribe, tongue, and nation to come to know you and experience you in a life-changing relationship that endures forever. Make us ambassadors of the King who laid down his life so that others might live. Deliver us from the temptation to empower rulers who only know force. Amen.