Last night, I was reading through my Facebook page kind of quickly. I just wanted to scan for a few updates from friends regarding if they'd had their baby yet, if they arrived safely home from their vacation, how they were feeling, etc. As much as I sometimes shake my head at the fact that Facebook is where I find out about such news, it is what it is and I'm grateful for the connections I've made because of it. Let's face it, most of us don't have time to pick up the phone and call twenty of our friends each day to find out how they're doing. As much as I would love to be able to do that, it's just not possible. When I'm doing the Facebook "just-the-facts please" scan, I usually skip over the other things that are in my News Feed such as videos, articles, notes, etc., but last night there was a video that caught my eye. I scrolled past it thinking that I would remember which friend posted it and watch it later if I had time. Well, something compelled me to go back and watch it right then. The video was titled, "In My Seat."
Although I have watched many videos about September 11th, I had never seen this one. This particular video is the story of an American Airlines pilot, First Officer Steve Scheibner, who was supposed to have been the pilot on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the North Tower (Tower 1) of the World Trade Center. He had checked into the computer system as the scheduled pilot and packed his bags. All he was waiting for was the confirmation phone call from the airlines. He never got the call. He found out that another pilot had taken his place and he didn't have to go on the trip.
Originally, I wasn't going to write this article on the subject of September 11th. I think mostly because it stirs up many emotions in me that are very hard to deal with, even though it happened ten years ago. There are images from that day that will never leave my mind. Images that shook me to my core. However, when I watched this video, I didn't get discouraged, I got encouraged. This man gave glory to God. The part of the video that struck me the most was when he said that twenty years ago, he wrote a life objective. This is his Life Objective..."To seek, trust, and glorify God through humble service and continual prayer. To raise up qualified disciples as quickly as possible. So that one day I might hear God say, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.'" He wrote that years before the planes crashed into the twin towers.
I wonder how many of us have had someone else "take our seat." The seat that we were supposed to be in, the flight we were supposed to be on, the road we were supposed to take, the building we were supposed to go into... There have been times when I've had my plans all set to be somewhere at a certain time, but life got in the way. I spilled my coffee as I was walking out the door and had to go back in the house to change clothes, or one of my kids threw up as we were about to leave and I had to cancel my entire day of plans. I was really annoyed at the time, until I found out about a huge accident that happened not ten minutes after we were originally supposed to leave. The chances would have been very high that we would have been in the accident. Now, when things like that happen, I may still be annoyed, but I thank God for whatever the reason is for the delay. Because it very well could be His protection once again.
There was a time when I was living in Denver, Colorado and I was driving on the freeway to church one Easter Sunday morning. It was a very bright day and the sun was shining directly into my windshield, just low enough where the visor couldn't cover it. I had sunglasses on, but it was just too bright to see clearly. I was driving along in the middle lane not really thinking about anything in particular when all of a sudden, I came around a corner and saw a car driving straight towards me in my lane. It took me a few seconds to realize what was happening and I swerved into the right lane just in time to look in my rear view mirror and see that car hit the car behind me head on. I screamed out and pulled over to the shoulder as fast as I could and cried. That could have been me, and nearly was. I found out later that the man driving toward me was an elderly man who had had a heart attack and his car drifted out of the HOV lane and into oncoming traffic. The people in both cars died instantly.
Who's been in your seat? Have you ever thought about it? Why does God take one life and leave another? These are questions we may never have answers to. We trust God that he knows our name. He knows how many days we will have on this earth. We are not to worry about things that are out of our control. Steve Scheibner said that the events of September 11th intensified his Life Objective. He's acting like he's living on borrowed time, because he is, and he's going to live his life with a sense of urgency. We are all living on borrowed time. The events of September 11th remind us of that. They remind us that life is fragile and that unexpected and terrible things happen. However, they should also remind us that God is still in control. There are thousands of stories of people who were supposed to be in the twin towers that day, or on the flights that crashed, but because of different circumstances they weren't. Someone else was "in their seat."
There were many different emotions that circulated around the events of that fateful day in September of 2001. People asked me, "What kind of God do you serve that would allow something like this to happen? How can you call him a loving God? Where is he as these people are jumping from the buildings?" I must admit, at the time, I didn't know how to answer them that would satisfy them in their grief. The shock and the pain was too much for them to absorb. Yet, in the midst of all the grief and pain, a revival began to break out in the days and weeks following the attacks. America came together in unity. With as many people who were angry at God, many people turned to God. Churches were flooded with people looking for answers and comfort. Neighbors began talking to neighbors. People began helping strangers and showed kindness like they never had before. Many good things came out of this terrible tragedy. I pray that now, more than ever, that revival would break out again. That people would turn to God like never before, realizing that they are indeed living on borrowed time. The great revival that happened around September 11th did what all revivals do. It slowed down over time as people moved on with their lives. People got "tired of hearing about it" every year. I pray that we never get tired of hearing about it. I pray that we will honor and remember every single person who perished. Not just in the planes and towers, but all the firefighters, policemen, and everyone on the ground, our military, who have been serving and fighting diligently ever since to bring to justice every evil person responsible for these lives lost. Let us not return to our foolish ways, and let us not become "familiar" with these events to the point where we are numb and purposely ignorant. Now is the time for revival to come again!
Psalm 85:8-13 says, "I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints - but let them not return to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps." The psalmist was asking God to revive his people, bringing them back to spiritual life. Revival starts with us, in our heart. Ask God to give you a fresh touch of his love. If we want to see revival in our nation then it has to begin with us, as individuals. Nothing is impossible for God. He can and will revive all that has been lost. You have to choose to accept his love. Even if you feel like you don't deserve it. Guess what? He loves you anyway and there's nothing you can do about it. So, let us remember who is the Author of our faith, who is in control of our lives. Let us not return to our foolish ways. Let us proceed with faithfulness toward the cause of his Kingdom, to tell others about Jesus and to help them grow in their faith so that the gospel can reach the world. Let us prepare the way for the Lord because He is coming soon. Let us never forget the events of September 11th, but let them be a reminder that even in the midst of tragedy, evil, and chaos, God was there.
I pray that our Life Objective will be similar to Steve Scheibner's. ..."To seek, trust, and glorify God through humble service and continual prayer. To raise up qualified disciples as quickly as possible. So that one day I might hear God say, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.'"
I highly recommend that you watch him tell his story. I've posted the video below. Maybe you haven't known someone personally on this earth who has "been in your seat," but let us always remember the One who has been in each of our seats, and that is Jesus Christ, who died for each and every one of us. If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, now is the time. All you have to do is say this simple prayer, and He will hear you. “Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."
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