On Tuesday morning September 11, 2001 I sat with Dr. Brian Stiller in his office at Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto oblivious to the madness that was going on in the world as two hijacked airplanes slammed into the World Trade Centre buildings in New York City.
Every TV network was covering the news and the entire world watched in horror. Who could have imagined? At first, they watched as the structures burned and desperate people jumped from windows. Then the buildings imploded. People on the streets ran for their lives and hysteria invaded the nation as people watched helplessly. Regina Brett described it this way: “Cars melted. Rescue workers scrambled under a cascade of rubble. Smoke hid the Manhattan skyline. The Statue of Liberty looked feeble and small, as if she held the white flag of surrender instead of the bold torch of freedom.” What madness!
Today the world is in another state of madness. This time it centers around a global pandemic and the fallout it’s having on people, entire families, businesses, and society at large. The world is in an uproar! Everywhere one turns people are choking on bad news.
Twenty plus years after the tragedy of 9/11 people walk the parks in Manhattan. The birds still sing. People gather in street cafes, attend to their business, and stop to pick up hot dogs from street vendors. Squirrels still scamper. Trees still bloom. And life goes on. There is still so much life to be lived.
We are living in a world where we must creatively find ways to escape the madness. Maybe it’s as simple as turning off our TVs and phone devices and taking a walk in the park. Or maybe it’s retreating to your spare bedroom to spend a few uninterrupted moments in prayer with your loving Heavenly Father. It doesn’t have to take thousands of dollars or weeks of your time – or a trip to Barbados. Some of my greatest “escape ventures” have been prayer walks at Costco in some of the less travelled aisles where it’s pretty much me and Jesus.
In the middle of all life’s madness, God longs to lead you beside still waters. He wants to restore your soul. (Psalm 23:2-3) He wants to remind you of His faithfulness – and that while “…weeping may remain for a night, rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) Possibly it’s time for another hike in the park, a trip to your spare bedroom, or a hike through the back aisles at Costco.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2)
Be blessed my friend.
Glen (Pitts)
The Barnabas Group / Loads of Love
Psalm 84:4-7; Psalm 27; Jeremiah 23:23
