As We Remember: An Unknown Plan Moments with God, Vol. 127
Unknown Plan1
For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?
Romans 11:34
Some events have the ability to shake us. We remember so clearly where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news. These unknown happenings, whether good or bad, change the course of life, and we remember the moment.
Those old enough to remember can recall the exact details surrounding them as the events of September 11, 2001, began to unfold. At 8:46 a.m., the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City was rocked as American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into its side. Less than twenty minutes later, the South Tower was struck by United Airlines Flight 175. With the second plane striking the towers, it became clear more was taking place than a mere accident. This was confirmed as American Airlines Flight 77 struck the western side of the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. As the towers were collapsing, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville in the Pennsylvania countryside. America was under attack.
Horror filled the air as quickly as the smoke engulfed people running for their lives from the collapsing towers. Feelings of shock, fear, grief, and sadness filled our nation. The terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda that morning brought unknown horror as lives were changed forever. These unknown happenings led to an unknown future. Only the evil of the day could be felt, but God uses the unknown and evil to bring about good. And there was good, even in the midst of these attacks.
Flight 93 was scheduled to be an early-morning nonstop flight from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, but was delayed at takeoff. As the flight ascended, passengers were alerted to the attacks and began to devise a plan. Though the terrorists were in the process of taking over the flight, the passengers, led by Todd Beamer, retaliated. The hijackers were forced to crash the plane in a field near Indian Lake and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, preventing them from reaching their target. The heroic efforts of Todd Beamer and fellow passengers saved lives.
But why did God allow this evil to take place? Where was He in the chaos? So often when the effects of sin grip our lives and cause incredible heartache, we question God. We forget that His ways are not our ways. In fact, our thoughts and ways are nothing compared to the depth of His knowledge and wisdom as explained by Paul.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33–36)
God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Heir of all things. His wisdom and knowledge are so far above man’s and are inscrutable or impossible to understand and interpret. He is God, and we are not. God sometimes will allow things to happen in His wisdom. Nothing is beyond His knowledge. Nothing is unknown to Him. We do not always understand His ways or why He allows things to happen as they do, especially when they lead to such horrible tragedy. We can trust a God who is fully in control, even in the tragedies of this world.
Lisa Beamer, widow of Todd Beamer, quickly became a person of public interest as she worked through the tragic loss of her husband with such grace and strength. Little did she know as Todd quietly kissed her goodbye in the early-morning hours on September 11 that events yet unknown would change her world and lead to an unknown future raising their family alone. Because of Todd’s heroic acts, the media sought countless interviews with Lisa. The details of the last moments on Flight 93 and Todd’s part in it brought hope and goodness to a nation rocked with fear and loss.
Lisa had many opportunities to share the faith in God she and Todd shared. Knowing the depth of God’s wisdom and knowledge had built a firm foundation of trust in her sovereign God. As she described coping with loss, Lisa summed up how she chose to face sorrows and challenges each day in her book Let’s Roll! Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage.
“I can sink into depression or anger or anxiety, or I can trust that God is working everything for my good. I have chosen to believe God—to believe he loves me and has a plan for now and for eternity. I don’t claim to understand, but I choose daily—even moment by moment—to have faith not in what is seen but in what is unseen. The road ahead is uncertain and even scary at times, but I believe that God will provide what’s best for me, just when I need it.”2
Good still can result in tragedy and loss. Though at times Lisa still faces the unknown, she faces life with a God who is known. Through tragedy, Lisa has shared her faith in ways she could not have without the unknown events of 9/11 taking place. When all around seems untrustworthy, God can be trusted. Because we can be secure and rely on God’s greater wisdom, we can trust Him completely as He leads us over the rough roads of life; we can know we do not have to solve all the mysteries. All He asks is for us to trust Him.
- What events in your life have shaken you, causing you to question God?
- How is your plan better than His?
- What steps do you need to take to trust in God’s control of every event in your life?
The only true security in this life comes from placing our trust in the God who loves us and is in complete control of the events of our lives and our world.3