I could hear the television news commentator over the gurgling din of my coffee maker. An airplane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. I emerged from the kitchen and watched in horror as I saw the second plane crash into the second tower.
The date was September 11, 2001.
By the end of the day, I was physically and emotionally spent. Everywhere I turned and with everyone whom I met, it was another reliving of the tragic events of the day. As I sat down to dinner with my family, I turned to my wife and looked at my one year old daughter and sighed, “It’s a new world. I don’t know what her generation will face but it looks really dark right now.”
My daughter’s generation, sometimes referred to as Generation Z, has been shaped by many events including 9/11 and the rise of global terrorism, the integration of social media, and the propagation of social diversity and inclusiveness. Regardless of one’s positions on these issues, it has shaped and continues to shape their outlook and values and influences all generations, including mine.
Every generation faces new challenges. We are now facing the COVID19 pandemic and worldwide unrest from protests demanding racial equality and justice. For this current generation, parents undoubtedly may have the same fears that I had nineteen years ago. How did I respond after that tragic day? My wife and I prayed and asked God to bring healing and hope to this fallen world.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 (NLT)
There is a common theme that links every generation since Adam and Eve, we hope for a better life for our children. No matter how dark the circumstances, we have hope in God. The following verses from the Book of Lamentations are often quoted to uplift and inspire our spirits. However, the poignancy of these verses is that it was written during the midst of one of the darkest moments in the history of the Jews. Jerusalem had been destroyed and its citizens were either killed or taken away in captivity to Babylon. If ever there was a time when the future appeared dark, this was certainly it. How did God’s people respond to this crisis?
The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
Lamentations 3:22-24 (NLT)
There will always be dark days. When we know that God is in control, every day is a renewing of the world. God restored the Jews to their homeland seventy years later. Only when we place our hope in Him alone, will our dreams of a better life for ourselves and our children become a reality. God’s faithfulness is never ceasing!
Amen!
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 