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NOTES  FROM  THE  VALLEY - September 30, 2001

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil for you are with me."  Psalm 23.
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TOPIC:  WHAT  NEXT ?

This week, it seems like everyone is struggling with the question, "What
should we, the United States of America, do next in response to the
terrorist attacks against us?"   I have struggled with that question too.
And, although I don't profess to know all the answers, God has ministered
some things to me in response to my struggling that I'd like to share with
you.

Based upon the many articles and inputs I've received this week, plus my
observations of various national news sources, it seems fairly clear that
there are two major camps seeking to influence the form of our impending
response.  One camp is angry.  VERY angry.  Legitimately angry.  So angry
that I don't think any of them would be the least bit upset if President
Bush ordered our military to level any nation that supported the terrorist
attacks and make paved parking lots out of them all.  And the other camp is
scared.  Legitimately scared.  Scared of the actions threatened by the
Taliban if we do attack them.  So scared, that they distrust any course of
action that involves the use of military force.  One side screams for
revenge.  The other pleads for patience and diplomacy.  Who's right?  Is
either side right?  And more importantly, what is it that God would truly
want us to do next?

To those who are angry let me say, I share your anger.  Every time I
contemplate the cold blooded, carefully calculated and brutal acts taken
against our citizens on September 11th, my blood boils.  I cannot comprehend
the kind of human being who could act in such a heartless manner towards
other human beings.  The level of hatred and bitterness they must nurture
towards us as a people goes beyond my ability to understand.  I can only
characterize it as the darkest and most sinister form of evil I have ever
encountered.  To me, they are the very personification of the devil himself.
And I long for the identification and punishment of each and every one of
them as quickly and severely as possible.  I long for it as deeply and
earnestly as I long for the day when I can see the devil himself fall
defeated before Christ and then be cast out from our midst into eternal
torment.

But as angry as I am, I also know that our response, if governed by a desire
for revenge rather than justice, will result in the deliberate massacre of
innocent civilians.  And if that happens, we will be as guilty of wrong
doing as the ones we seek to punish.  The harm that has befallen innocent
Americans of Arabic and Indian heritage in this country over last two weeks,
solely because of their physical appearance or their belief in the Islamic
faith, is validation that anger can be a very heady and easily misdirected
emotion.  We cannot allow ourselves to be dragged into that dark and vile
place.  We must resist the type of angry responses that would take us there.
To the angry, God says,  "Be angry, and do not sin:  do not let the sun go
down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil."  Ephesians 4:26-27

For those of you who are scared let me say, you are not alone.  Truly honest
people everywhere will admit that their hopes and dreams were forever
changed by the events of September 11th.  And with those changes came
uncertainties and fear.  That fear, authored by the devil, is the
counterfeit of faith. It is his primary weapon and he uses it to freeze us
into inaction while he and his cohorts continue about their sinister
business.  We cannot allow ourselves to be deceived by that fear.  If we do,
we will end up in the same dark destination our unrestrained anger would
take us.  But we will have crawled there voluntarily to hide behind his dark
illusion; seeking safety in a lie. To the scared comes this reminder, "God
has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind."  2 Timothy 1:7

Having said all that, what's the answer to our question, "What next?"  It's
certain the answer won't be found within ourselves.  For all our energies
and achievements, events have brought us face-to-face with the reality of
our own insufficiency to deal with the challenges that lie ahead.  So, what
comes next is a choice: Where will we seek the answers we can't find within
ourselves?  The world offers us many choices.  God offers us only two.
Himself or all the rest.

I know everyone has heard the much quoted scripture from 2 Chronicles 7:14
this week: ". . . if My people who are called by My name will humble
themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then
I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
It is my firm belief that we have reached that point where God will no
longer accept a part time relationship with His children.  It breaks His
heart.  And it is destroying us slowly from within as our spirits grow weak
from our lack of communion with Him.  God did not author the events of
September 11th.  I can't not emphasize that strongly enough.  The evil in
men's hearts did that.  But He is using those events as a wake up call to
His People.  And what comes next is our answer to that call.  From that
choice will flow all the events that will prepare and define us for what
lies ahead.

When faced with Goliath, the nation of Israel cowered in fear.  But David
chose to trust in God instead of in Goliath's prowess or his own meager
abilities.  And David defeated Goliath with only a slingshot and a stone.
The lesson for us is very clear.  It wasn't the superiority of the warrior
or the weapon that mattered.  It was the one who guided them both.

Later in his life, David would write:  "I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in
whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my
stronghold.  In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for
help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his
ears.  He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep
waters.  He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too
strong for me.  They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD
was my support.  He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me
because he delighted in me."  Psalm 18:1-2, 6, 9, 16-19 (NIV)

God does not expect His people to cower in fear before evil in any form. But
before we dare come against that evil, we had better prepare ourselves by
making the same wise choices that David did.  We'd better put our faith in
God.  We'd better become skilled in the use of the weapons of our warfare ".
. .which are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strongholds . . ." (2 Corinthians 10:4)

And we'd better lift up our President and the world leaders who join with
him in this battle in prayer.  Continuous and fervent prayer for God's
wisdom, care and protection upon him. "For he is God's minister to you for
good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain;
for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices
evil."  Romans 13:4-5

God bless you all.
God bless America and her allies in the fight against evil that lies ahead.
May we all remain sheltered under His wings and overwhelmed by His love,

Steve Hall



DO  IT  AGAIN  LORD !
(Author - Max Lucado for the America Prays prayer vigil, September 14, 2001)

Dear Lord:

We're still hoping we'll wake up. We're still hoping we'll open a sleepy eye
and think, "What a horrible dream." But we won't, will we, Father? What we
saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our
fortress. People did perish. It was no dream and, dear Father, we are sad.

There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no
longer heal. A church has lost her priest, a classroom is minus a teacher.
Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor and Dana, dearest Father, Dana
was only three years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)

We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried
as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better. But
we didn't. And so we come to you. We don't ask you for help; we beg you for
it. We don't request it; we implore it. We know what you can do. We've read
the accounts. We've pondered the stories and now we plead, "Do it again,
Lord. Do it again."

Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us.
Do it again, Lord. Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their
children from the angel of death. We have children too, Lord. Do it again.

And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears?
You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The
doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

You changed Daniel from a captive into a king's counselor. You took Peter
the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from
leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors
today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord.

Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here last
Tuesday, you saw there that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness
murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the smoke eclipsed our
morning, so the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were
shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced. And by dusk, heaven's
sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.

But you did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark
hole, you rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest
Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September
Easter.

We thank you, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Christians are praying
with Jews. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been
covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank you for these hours of
unity.  And we thank you for these hours of prayer. The enemy sought to
bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would
kneel before you. And he has no idea what you can do. Let your mercy be upon
our President, Vice President, and their families. Grant to those who lead
us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who
have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might
forgive and faith that we might believe.

And look kindly upon your church. For two thousand years you've used her to
heal a hurting world. Do it again, Lord. Do it again!

Through Christ, Amen.



WHY  DOES  GOD  ALLOW  EVIL ?
(Shared by Linda Layton - Author Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback
Church)

Tuesday's horrific mass murder of innocent Americans leaves all rational
people shocked, angry, grief-stricken, and numb. Our tears flow freely and
our hearts carry a deep ache. How could this happen in our nation?
This week as mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, and
co-workers begin to share their stories, this tragedy will be become even
more personal. As this tragedy becomes more personal, it will become more
painful. As our pain deepens, so will the questions. Why does God allow evil
to happen? If God is so great, and so good, why does he allow human beings
to hurt each other?

The answer lies in both our greatest blessing and our worst curse: our
capacity to make choices. God has given us a free will. Made in God's image,
he has given us the freedom to decide how we will act and the ability to
make moral choices. This is one asset that sets us apart from animals, but
it also is the source of so much pain in our world. People, and that
includes all of us, often make selfish, self-centered, and evil choices.
Whenever that happens, people get hurt. Sin is ultimately selfishness. I
want to do what I want, not what God tells me to do. Unfortunately, sin
always hurts others, not just ourselves.

God could have eliminated all evil from our world by simply removing our
ability to choose it. He could have made us puppets, or marionettes on
strings that he pulls. By taking away our ability to choose it, evil would
vanish. But God doesn't want us to be puppets. He wants to be loved and
obeyed by creatures who voluntarily choose to do so. Love is not genuine if
there is no other option.

Yes, God could have kept the terrorists from completing their suicidal
missions by removing their ability to choose their own will instead of his.
But to be fair, God would also have to do that to all of us. You and I are
not terrorists, but we do harm and hurt others with our own selfish
decisions and actions.

You may hear misguided minds say "This must have been God's will."
Nonsense!! In a world of free choices, God's will is rarely done! Doing our
own will is much more common. Don't blame God for this tragedy. Blame people
who ignored what God has told us to do: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

In heaven, God's will is done perfectly. That's why there is no sorrow,
pain, or evil there. But this is earth, a fallen, imperfect place. We must
choose to do God's will everyday. It isn't automatic. This is why Jesus told
us to pray "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

The Bible tells us the root of evil: "This is the crisis we're in: God's
light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the
darkness...because they were not really interested in pleasing God." (John
3:19 Message Translation) We're far more interested in pleasing ourselves.

There are many other questions that race through our minds during dark days.
But the answers will not come from pollsters, pundits, or politicians. We
must look to God and his Word. We must humble ourselves and admit that each
of us often choose to ignore what God wants us to do.

No doubt this weekend houses of worship across America will be packed. In a
crisis we cry out for a connection with our Creator. This is a deep-seated,
universal urge. The first words uttered by millions on Tuesday were "Oh
God!" We were made for a relationship with God but he waits for us to choose
Him. He is ready to comfort, guide, and direct us through our grief. My
prayer is that you will attend a house of worship this weekend and reconnect
with God. But it's your choice.



WHERE  WAS  GOD  ON  SEPTEMBER  11,  2001?
(Shared by Florence Campbell - Author Unknown)

I had a very dear friend question my faith in God right after the terrorist
attack on America. Her question was simply put, "Where is your God today?"
She was very hurt, as all Americans were, so I tried not to react
defensively. Since that moment I have prayed and grieved over the disastrous
events. However, I believe I have the answer.

I know where my God was the morning of September 11, 2001 ........ He was
very busy!  Consider all these miracles:

. . . He was trying to discourage anyone from taking this flight. Those four
flights together held over 1000 passengers, but there were only 266 aboard.

. . . He was on 4 commercial flights giving terrified passengers the ability
to stay calm. Not one of the family members who was called by a loved one on
one of the hijacked planes said that passengers were screaming in the
background. On one of the flights He was giving strength to passengers to
try to overtake the hijackers.

 . . . He was busy trying to create obstacles for employees at the World
Trade Center. After all, only around 20,000 were at the towers when the
first jet hit. Since the buildings hold over 50,000 workers, this was a
miracle in itself. How many of the people who were employed at the WTC told
the media that they were late for work or they had traffic delays?

. . . He was holding up two 110-story buildings so that 2/3 of the workers
could get out. I was so amazed that the top of the towers didn't topple when
the jets impacted.

(Footnote from Steve - And what about how both towers finally collapsed?  If
they had fallen sideways,  like a tree falls,  the devastation and loss of
life would have been multiplied many times over.  But they collapsed
straight down upon themselves, 200 plus floors in a heap!)

Although this is, without a doubt, the worst thing I have seen in my life, I
can see God's miracles in every bit of it. I keep thinking about my friend
and praying for her every chance I have. I can't imagine going through such
a difficult time and not believing in God. Life would be hopeless.

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Copyright © 1998-2001 by Stephen J. Hall  -   Weekly letters of
encouragement to Christians written by Stephen J. Hall unless otherwise
indicated.  Notes from the Valley and Humor from the Valley are meant to
brighten your day and encourage you along the way.  Most of "Notes" and
"Humor" are a collection of items provided to me by subscribers and friends.
Credit is given to both the contributor and to the true author, where known.
If you are blessed by them, please feel free to make copies and pass them
along to others.  If you have something you'd like to contribute to a future
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"Surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of
evildoers.  He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with
shouts of joy."
Job 8:20-21 (NIV)