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n the wake of the September 11 barbaric terrorist attacks in New York and Washington\'€”and many other acts of terrorism in recent days, not only in America but around the world\'€”one cannot help but wonder about the correlation of these events with the ever-increasing tearing down of the Christian beliefs upon which the U.S.A. was founded, and the Judaeo-Christian ethic upon which much of our Western society has been built.

Consider the banning of prayer and the Bible in U.S. schools, legalizing abortion, murderous partial-birth abortion, the acceptance and popularizing of sexual practices that God\'s Word calls abominable, banning the display of nativity scenes and the posting of the Ten Commandments in public places\'€”fundamental laws which provide a foundation upon which to build any lasting society\'€”and many of these same or similar practices in Australia, New Zealand, and other Western societies. Let us not forget other recent societies who also ignored God\'€”including those of Hitler and Stalin!

At times like this I am again reminded of the profound response of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Russian-born Nobel Prize winner for literature (1970). On the same day he was presented with the Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion by HRH Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace, he addressed many of Britain\'s leading political and religious leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury:

\"Over half a century ago,\" stated Solzhenitsyn, \"while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: \'Men have forgotten God, that\'s why all this has happened.\'\"

\"And if I were called upon to identify the principal trait of the entire twentieth century,\" Solzhenitsyn continued, \"I would be unable to find anything more precise and pithy than to repeat: \'Men have forgotten God\'.\"

Have we too, as a nation, forgotten God in our actions\'€”if not in our words? As God said so long ago, \"Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord\" ... and continued:

\'And if I were called upon to identify
the principal trait of the entire
twentieth century,\' Solzhenitsyn
continued, \'I would be unable
to find anything more precise
and pithy than to repeat:
\'Men have forgotten God.\'

\"From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth\'€”he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear [reverence] him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.\"¹

At the same time you and I ask, \"What can I do?\" I am only one person. How can I make a difference? But there are many things we can do. We can pray earnestly for God\'s help. We can make sure we are living lives in harmony with God\'s will. We can support organizations such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and others who are helping the victims of these international disasters.

Think too of the amazing events of recent years and how they were affected by the action of one person.

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For example, \"August 19, 2001 was the tenth anniversary of the final downfall of international communism in the Soviet Union. Some of you may remember that historic event. A group of Russian generals were determined to turn back the tide of democracy in that declining empire. They placed Mikhail Gorbachev under house arrest at his dacha outside of Moscow. Meanwhile a tank rumbled into Red Square with the sole purpose of capturing second-in-command, Boris Yeltsin. But Yeltsin did something quite extraordinary. Instead of acquiescing to his captors, he leaped atop the tank and welcomed the tank commander over to the side of democracy.

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\"Later the tank commander reported that, up to this point, he had no intention of joining the forces of democracy, but Yeltsin was so persuasive that he could not resist. And with that single event, communism lost its final prospect of a return to power.

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\"A reporter interviewed Boris Yeltsin not long after that famous incident. The reporter asked Yeltsin what gave him the courage to take that stand. Yeltsin credited reading the story of Lech Walesa, the Gdansk electrician who led the forces of Solidarity and helped bring democracy to Poland several years before.

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\"Someone once asked Walesa what caused him to make the stand that brought down communism in his land. Walesa said he was inspired to his acts of sacrifice and courage by reading accounts of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights marchers in the United States.

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Have we too, as a nation,
forgotten God in our actions\'€”
if not in our words? As God
said so long ago, \'Blessed
is that nation whose
God is the Lord.\'

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\"When Dr. King was asked what pivotal event spurred him into action as a leader of his people, he cited the influence of Rosa Parks, the African-American lady in Montgomery, Alabama, who refused to sit in the back of the bus when instructed to do so because of her skin color. Now here is the question for the day: \'Is it possible that the fall of Communism began with one African-American woman who refused to sit in the back of a bus?\'\"²

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Suggested prayer: \"Gracious God, our Heavenly Father, our nation and the entire free world is in turmoil at this time. We have witnessed inhumane terrorism, the killing of thousands of innocent victims, the violent attack against the very freedoms that allow men, women and children to live in safety, love and security. We pray especially for all who have lost loved ones and are suffering terrible grief and loss. We pray for all world leaders of free countries that you will give them wisdom and discretion at this time, and the courage to do what is right ... that the perpetrators and terrorists and all connected with them will be caught and brought to justice quickly. And we pray for these people, too, as much as we hate their dastardly acts, you have also died to save them. And above all we earnestly pray that you will send a great spiritual awakening across our country and around the world that men and women everywhere will turn to you as our only hope for the survival and salvation of mankind. Oh God, grant that all will come to realize that blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and that without God we all eventually perish. Forgive us for our individual and our national sins, and send a great revival and let it begin in me. Gratefully in Jesus\' name. Amen.\"

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1. Psalm 33:13-22.
2. From King Duncan and the staff at www.sermons.com

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