Our Daily Bread: Remembering 9/11Sýnishorn

Revisiting Ground Zero

The God of heaven will help us succeed. -Nehemiah 2:20

On September 11, 2002, the American people soberly revisited the events that had taken place the year before—the unprecedented terrorist attacks on our country. Memorial services were held across the nation, including one in New York City at the place that has come to be known as “Ground Zero.” That somber remembrance included the reading of each of the names of the 2,801 victims who perished there. 

Ground zeroes are “places of devastation, destruction, and deep pain and loss,” according to one definition. The term came into use following the testing of the first atomic bomb in 1945. 

When Nehemiah visited Jerusalem in the fifth-century B.C., he encountered a ground-zero situation. Nehemiah 2:17 records what he witnessed and provides a proposal to act—Nehemiah’s prayer. “You know very well what trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace.” 

Life’s rubble and debris can overwhelm us; the temptation to give up is real. But situations of agony, disgrace, and loss need not be permanent. They prompt our prayers to the gracious God of heaven (1:4–5). When we encounter ground-zero conditions, good planning and meaningful partnerships are beneficial (2:1–8). Most of all, faithful perseverance is in order (v. 19). What we must not do is lose hope as God provides what we need to press on.

Father, help me to lift my eyes to You when I find myself in unpleasant places. Give me strength to persevere today, in Jesus’ name.

Arthur Jackson