God's Peace

I know that each of us can tell exactly where we were on September 11, 2001 when the planes hit the World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon. I was in Anderson, South Carolina. My husband, our daughter, Jan, and I had been to South Carolina to see our son, Tony, ordained as a minister of the gospel on September 9th. We stayed over at our house in Anderson to rest before coming back to Maryland. We had planned to return on Tuesday, September11th. I knew that I couldn't miss to many days of school since I teach First Grade.

I got up that disastrous day and had just sat down to watch the news on CNN when it was reported that a plane had flown into the north tower. I watched in horror . (William, my husband had turned the news on when he got up earlier, and he was sitting at his computer working. Jan was taking advantage of the time to catch up on some much needed rest.) I immediately began to pray for the people to be able to get out of the building in time. Next, before I could get used to the news about the first tower, it was reported that a plane had crashed into the south tower. Immediately, I started praying for the people to be able to get out of that tower. In my heart I knew that something dreadful was happening to our country. Then there was the news of a plane crashing into the Pentagon and another crashing in Pennsylvania. Now I was praying for our country as a whole.

Naively, when the mention of war was broadcast, I didn't think the armed forces would take my son unless they ran out of full time soldiers since he is in the Army Reserves. As the weeks went by I kind of put the thought into the back of my mind about my son going off to war. Then the day before Thanksgiving he got the call that he and several in his unit had been activated. My heart kind of sank to the bottom. I could not even think of losing my son at such an early age. I asked Jack and Melissa Jackson to come over and have prayer with Tony and Jewell, and they did. After they left, and I had shed tears, I went to my classroom and gave the whole situation over to the Lord. He gave me perfect peace. The Bible says Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayedon thee: because he trusteth in thee (Isaiah 26:3).

Our family had reservations to have Thanksgiving Dinner on the Bay Lady, and the grandchildren had been so excited about getting to ride on the "big boat" Tony was suppose to report to his unit the day after Thanksgiving. When I asked him what he was planning to do about Thanksgiving, he told me that he was going to make the Thanksgiving Dinner on the Bay Lady happen. We did celebrate Thanksgiving on the Bay Lady. It was a wonderful time for the family, but there was a note of sadness because we all knew that as soon as we got off that boat Tony and his family were going to head back to North Carolina where he would have to unpack since he had been on vacation at our house here in Maryland, and he would have to pack again to leave for the service.

I didn't know whether my son would get killed or not, but I did know that God was in control. That peace was there when I saw a live broadcast of CNN and all of a sudden there was gun fire and there stood my son with a gun in his hand. That peace was there when I knew that he was out with the reporters filming ammunition being blown up. That peace was there when I knew that he was flying in dangerous places. The peace that God gave me stayed with me through the whole seven months that my son was gone.

The peace that I had was so obvious that people would come up to me and tell me that they could not believe that I had so much peace with my son at war in Afghanistan. That peace helped students to come to grips with the war. It helped other family members to be at peace. It helped people to have more faith in God. It certainly helped me in a time that I really need the Lord. Not only was my son at war, but my daughter got a diagnosis that she had a rare liver disease. Thank the Lord, the blood test revealed that she did not have the disease.

When I look back on this past year and all that God has done, my hearts sings, "Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with thee; Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; As thou hast been thou forever wilt be. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed thy hand hath provided; Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!"

Before Tony left our house on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, he left a note telling William and I that he loved us and that he would see us Christmas. He put the note on the front of the refrigerator. I found it when I got back home Thanksgiving Day. Surprisingly, when Tony got back from Afghanistan, the note fell off the refrigerator by itself. For me that was a reminder of God's care. I was reminded of the rainbow that God put in the sky and that God always keeps His promises!
Will I have more sorrows in the future? Yes, I have sorrow in my heart right now. My next door neighbor's son is in Shock Trauma in Baltimore. He has an injury to the head, and he is not expected to live. I have gone to the Lord with this matter. While I was praying, a bird began to sing outside my patio doors. I looked up and said, "Lord its going to be all right, isn't it?" I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know who will bring tomorrow, and I trust Him with all my heart.

My friends, don't let this 9-11 thing continue to get you down. Take the Scripture in Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them; for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee: he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

In Jesus, and He in me,
Betty Faye Rivers